


Until the End

by nottherealyou



Category: Lucifer (TV)
Genre: Angst, M/M, More than just a deal, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-17
Updated: 2018-08-19
Packaged: 2019-06-11 17:28:02
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 23,532
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15320532
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nottherealyou/pseuds/nottherealyou
Summary: From that first moment they met, there was an undeniable chemistry that surprised them both.  When Lucifer flirted with the new lieutenant, neither of them had expected him to flirt back and a tiny kernel of an idea was planted. Just as it seemed likely to pass without further comment or action, the undercover operation happened, opening their eyes again.A self-involved, pleasure-driven, fallen angel and a bitter, emotionally closed-off, suicidal immortal - what chance could they possibly have to build something meaningful together?





	1. In the Beginning

**Author's Note:**

> They aren't mine, but this story certainly is.

Lucifer sat on his balcony, looking out over the city. The club below was closed early, thanks to Amenadiel and Pierce, and it was unsettlingly quiet, especially in the wake of the argument with his brother. Amenadiel’s decision to stand in the way of his deal with Pierce was disappointing, but not surprising. It left him with the dilemma of whether to keep his word or listen to his family. Really, not much of a dilemma at all – his word was his bond and his family… was a mess. 

His thoughts drifted to Pierce. His quiet desperation was intriguing, and there was a lot of emotion hiding under that stoic exterior. They’d connected on that undercover assignment, even if Pierce wasn’t acknowledging it. There’d been that instant at the end of the kiss where Pierce had started to respond before he caught himself and pulled away, but even more telling was the first night they’d spent in bed together. Pierce had been uncomfortable with it until Lucifer promised they would just sleep – nothing more – and all but challenged him to man up. He’d finally relaxed and drifted off to sleep and, within the first hour, had migrated to Lucifer’s side of the bed and pulled him close. The first impulse had been to pull free and mock, but there was something so possessive, so needy about it that he’d just laid there, relaxing against Pierce and trying to be whatever it was he needed. 

It really wasn’t like him to be so introspective, but Lucifer found himself contemplating his next move instead of just jumping in with both feet. There was a strange vulnerability about Pierce that made him wonder what it would be like to penetrate the man’s protective armor and whether it would be worth the challenge. He couldn’t imagine Pierce being open to a one-night stand – if that was the case, then he wouldn’t have gone so long without so much as a kiss. Normally that wouldn’t matter. Normally it would be enough to take what he wanted while providing pleasure for the other party, of course. No strings, no second thoughts – that was his way. For some reason though, he was caught up in what Pierce would want... no, what he needed, but maybe wasn’t willing to ask for. So really, if he was reading the situation right, what he had to decide was whether a relationship with a suicidal immortal was worth giving up his current lifestyle and, if the answer was yes, he’d need a way to talk Pierce into it. 

 

Marcus Pierce was at his desk by 8am, shuffling through papers and monitoring his detectives with periodic glances through the window in front of him. He was definitely monitoring the team when he looked up every few minutes. It absolutely didn’t have anything to do with the whereabouts of a certain consultant. It also had nothing to do with the kiss that they’d shared during a recent undercover operation. Realizing that Lucifer was in his thoughts again, Marcus forced his eyes back to the report in his hand. He might owe the other man an apology, he mused, and was immediately disgusted with the thought. Sure, he and Amenadiel had done quite a number on the club, but he shouldn’t care. It wasn’t like him to waste emotions. Hell, it wasn’t like him to have emotions. Besides, Amenadiel was Lucifer’s family. If anyone should apologize, it should be him.

He leaned back in his chair, absently rubbing his chest. The wounds from last night’s fight were healing, but there was still a dull ache. He’d developed a high threshold for pain over the centuries and was only subconsciously aware of it. 

Even with his focus redirected to work, he was aware of Decker’s arrival and of Lucifer’s continued absence, but he refused to get up and ask about it until the stack of files in his inbox was reviewed. About an hour later he tossed the last file aside and stood up but froze behind his desk as the subject of his fixation arrived and, unprompted, made a beeline for his office.

“Good morning, Lieutenant,” Lucifer trilled, almost bouncing with excitement.

“Lucifer.” Pierce was impassive, as always.

In spite of the cold reception, Lucifer smiled broadly at him. “Lieutenant, I’ve had an epiphany!”

It was the smile that threw him off. He’d fully expected anger – coming home to find his business trashed and his brother beaten up, Lucifer shouldn’t be so friendly this morning. Pierce couldn’t find the words to answer him, instead just staring at him in confusion.

Ignoring the look, Lucifer continued, “I can’t believe I didn’t make the connection sooner. When we were undercover, we talked about how much my father would hate our relationship. Then Amenadiel threatened to stand in the way of our deal. But what does Amenadiel want more than anything? To get back in good with our father, which isn’t likely to happen while I’m still walking around up here. So, you and I need to set up house together, like a real couple, and Amenadiel will have to change his mind and help us, or we could potentially be here, together, for eternity. Plus, we’d both be thumbing our noses at dear old Dad the whole time. Oh, and it will be easier to try to kill you if you’re always close by.” All of this was said in a single, rapid exhalation, and Pierce found himself struggling to catch up.

“You want me to move in with you and pretend we’re in a relationship? Because it will piss off your father?” Pierce scowled at him like he was the biggest idiot on the planet.

“And make my brother help us, once he pulls his head out of his ass.” Lucifer was oblivious to his reaction, or maybe just indifferent.

Pierce shook his head. “Based on the number of partners you’ve had in the last year alone, no one is going to buy it.” 

Lucifer took a step toward him, looking him in the eye. “No other partners while we do this. Whatever it takes to deliver on my promise. As I told you, I’m a man of my word. And there’s one more thing. It occurred to me that we may be able to break your curse another way. It’s punishment – you’re supposed to be miserable. If we can at least give the appearance that you’re happy, then it will look like the curse has stopped being effective and perhaps it will be removed.”

“I’ve been happy before.”

“I’m sure, centuries ago, you weren’t the bitter, emotionally-stunted man in front of me today. That’s the point though, you’d find happiness and lose it - curse. Have you tried it with another immortal? Happiness without loss – curse broken.”

Meeting Lucifer’s eyes, he could see sincerity and warmth… desire… and, against his better judgement, Pierce was intrigued. He couldn’t remember the last time anyone had surprised him like this with their actions. He’d expected the chainsaws and blades, but not this kind of thoughtful analysis and certainly not the poorly concealed lust that was lurking just under the surface. Well, maybe the lust. After all he’d quickly identified Lucifer as hedonistic, as well as petulant, self-involved, impulsive, irrational, an idiot… but he’d also come to see that the man could be honest, loyal, surprisingly sensitive and vulnerable, and so damned sexy that sometimes it was hard to think of anything else.

Pierce shook his head again, trying to dislodge that last errant thought. There was more to his interest than just another pretty face. He’d seen more than his share of pretty faces over the centuries. The idea of sharing time with an immortal, even one as mercurial as Lucifer, after so many years alone – that wasn’t something he could just dismiss out of hand. However, the potential complications made him reluctant to take a chance. There definitely had been a connection between them, almost from the beginning, but was Lucifer really looking for a relationship, or was it just a sham to try to piss off his family? And with that mercurial nature, how committed would he really be? How long could his attention span last?

“What about Decker? What if she came to you and…” he couldn’t finish the thought. Was that jealousy? How long had it been since he’d felt that?

“Why, Lieutenant, I had no idea how concerned you were about my social calendar,” Lucifer smirked .

Okay, so it was jealousy, and the bastard had picked up on it. Pierce sighed. There was a time when he’d embraced the game and enjoyed the chase, but that was too many lifetimes ago. He was tired; too tired and jaded to derive any pleasure from a drawn out courtship or even just a clever round of flirting.

“Just tell me what you’re talking about. What are the terms you’re after for this relationship – this deal?” He sighed again, wishing he could close his eyes and be away from this conversation and the turbulent swirl of emotions it was causing. Instead, he continued to meet Lucifer’s eyes, fully aware of the irony – of all the people walking the earth, the devil was the one he was looking to for honesty, and he knew he’d get it.

Lucifer seemed to sense his inner turmoil, or maybe he was caught up in his own emotions. He took another step forward and his hand started to come up, as if to caress Pierce’s face, before he caught himself and let it drop back to his side.

“My terms are whatever you are willing to give, Marcus. No distractions or dalliances. Just two lonely immortals looking for a friend, and maybe something more, at least until I can give you what you desire most.”

The words were serious, but there was also tenderness there and maybe even hope. They stood, staring at each other for a long moment while Pierce considered all the ways that this plan could go wrong. He decided it didn’t matter – for the first time in years, with the potential for a relationship, he felt something besides resignation – he wasn’t going to give that up. Nodding, he extended his hand.

“Now, now, Lieutenant,” the glib Lucifer was back, “I think a deal of this magnitude is worthy of more than a simple handshake.” His eyes were dancing with mirth, challenging Pierce.

Pierce gestured at the open blinds. “Lucifer, I work here. These people report to me.”

“And since when do you care what anyone thinks? So what if they see you snogging your consultant?”

“Fair point.” Pierce shrugged, then reached out, grabbing Lucifer by the back of the neck, and yanking him forward until their lips met. The kiss was harsh and punishing, giving vent to the long-forgotten feelings that he’d been fighting since… well, since the last time they’d kissed. Off balance, Lucifer’s hands scrabbled up Pierce’s chest, finally finding purchase on his shoulders. Center regained, he poured himself into the kiss, fighting back, demanding more, as lips were crushed against teeth and tongues battled for dominance. It continued – neither one willing to surrender to the other – until the need for air broke them apart.

He wouldn’t admit to anyone how difficult it was, but Pierce schooled his face into a mask of indifference. “You should be getting to work.”

Lucifer grinned. “But honey,” he teased, “we’ve got so many details to iron out.”

“Tonight, at your place. I’ll come by after work. Now get out of my office.”

Still smiling, Lucifer turned and sauntered out the door, closing it behind him. Pierce did not watch him walk out; was certainly not checking out his… dammit. He shook his head and sat back behind his desk. A quick look around the bullpen revealed only a couple detectives staring at him and Espinoza staring at Lucifer. Of course, it would be all around the squad before lunch but Lucifer was right. He was too old to give a shit about what any of them thought. 

 

Chloe didn’t bother to pretend that she hadn’t seen anything. She was too shocked to do anything but stare at Lucifer as he crossed the room to her desk.  
After Lucifer had arrived and made a beeline for Pierce’s office, she’d kept plugging away at a report, glancing up regularly to make sure things weren’t getting out of hand in there. Pierce seemed to have a limited tolerance for anyone, but Lucifer in particular was able to push his buttons with almost no effort. Christ, the two of them had bickered through that undercover assignment and almost blown it when they fought in front of the neighborhood, and there had been that heated discussion in the surveillance van. No question, the two of them were like oil and water. With that in mind, she decided to go check in on them and make sure no one got punched… or shot. There was definitely a lot of tension – both men were on their feet and postures were stiff, maybe even threatening. She came to her feet, pushing her chair back as Pierce reached out and grabbed Lucifer. She was pretty sure that Lucifer would fight back if hit, and she opened her mouth to yell to Dan, who was closer to the office, when Pierce pulled Lucifer in and kissed him and her voice died in her throat.

Now the recipient of that kiss was standing in front of her with hair mussed, lips swollen, and a mild case of stubble burn around his mouth. Lucifer being who he was, she expected to hear the story of his conquest of Pierce, but he was uncharacteristically quiet and instead of a glow of success, his expression was pensive, almost melancholy.

“Are you okay?” It wasn’t where she’d expected to start the conversation, but she was moving from shocked to worried, as he seemed to be lost in thought. Lucifer was all about big emotions and loud proclamations – he was rarely quietly introspective.

He seemed to physically shake off his thoughts and finally looked at her. “I’m fine, Detective. Do we have a new case?”

“Not until you do better than that. You’re not fine, you’re distracted, and with good reason. Did he hurt you? What the hell happened in there?” 

He laughed out loud. “He definitely did not hurt me.” 

She wasn’t sure why he found that funny but the laugh was an improvement over brooding. “Well, tell me what’s going on then and I’ll help you deal with it. You seemed upset by… what happened.” 

Lucifer seemed to have regained his equilibrium and answered with his usual line of nonsense. “There’s nothing to tell, Detective. The lieutenant just struck a bargain with the devil and that was to seal the deal.”

“A deal with the devil? What kind of deal?” Really, this devil thing was getting a little out of control but challenging it while trying to get information wouldn’t be the best approach to take.

“Sorry, but I’m not at liberty to say. Devil/client privilege and all that. You understand.”

Chloe threw her hands up in frustration. “I really don’t at all. But, if you don’t want to talk about it now, that’s fine. You’ll tell me eventually. And if you’re okay then we need to get to work.” She grabbed her jacket off the back of her chair and stalked out, assuming that he would follow. With a quick glance in the direction of Pierce’s office, he did.

She’d expected that he would loosen up over the course of the day and fill her in on what had happened. He had a tendency to share things with her, even when she’d rather not hear them. Today, though, he was laser-focused on the work, with little interest in idle chatter. She was almost relieved when he asked her to drop him off at his car a couple hours before the end of the shift.

As she drove into the parking garage, she made one more attempt. “You haven’t been yourself all day. Are you sure there isn’t anything I can help you with?”

Lucifer paused for a second, halfway out of the car, before standing up with his usual fluid grace. “No, thank you. There’s nothing to be done, Detective. Sometimes a game is worth playing, even when you’re sure you can’t win.” He looked back, catching her eye. “That doesn’t mean it’s always fun to play, though.”

Before she could respond he closed the door and turned away.


	2. The First Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Life and death get in the way, Lucifer gets grumpy then needy, Pierce hates touchy-feely, and Amenadiel weighs in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> These characters still don't belong to me, despite my best efforts at world domination.

It was after ten, and Pierce was finally leaving the hospital, where two cops – one of them from his squad - had been admitted early in the evening. He’d done his job, reporting in to the suits, checking on both men, and talking to the families before turning them over to the department chaplain. Now he was waiting for a patrol car to pick him up and take him back to headquarters. He’d cleaned up as best he could and accepted a scrubs shirt from a sympathetic nurse, but his mind knew that there was still blood on his pants and his skin, even if it wasn’t visible to everyone else. It unsettled him, not because he was particularly moved by mortal death, but because these men were under his command and it was likely that at least one of them was not going to make it through the night. It made him feel powerless and small.

He glanced at his watch as he slid into the front seat of the cruiser and grimaced at how late it was. Lucifer had probably been expecting him five hours ago and he hadn’t even thought to call. Granted, there hadn’t been much time for phone calls, but just a quick ‘I’m running late’ would have covered it. It hadn’t even occurred to him until this minute. He still needed to stop at the office to pick up his bike. Then he’d have to go back to the motel for a shower and change of clothes before he could swing by Lux, probably close to midnight. The thought of making all those stops before he could call it a night was exhausting. At the same time, now that Lucifer was on his mind, he wanted to see him right away to see if he could salvage this horrible start to their relationship… no, deal – it was just a deal.

“Harwood, let me out up here at Lux,” he said abruptly, realizing that they were only about a block away. 

The patrol officer wasn’t part of Pierce’s squad, but he glanced sideways at him and smirked as he pulled to the curb. Clearly word was getting around. “Yes, sir. Have a good night, sir.” As Pierce reached for the door handle, the officer’s expression changed to one of respect. “What you did today, sir, pulling Cole to safety, you probably saved his life. It’s more than most of the bosses would have done, and everybody knows that.”

Pierce paused, thinking it was premature to issue praise when the man still might die. He knew he should call the officer on his disrespect for the other supervisors, but he just didn’t have the energy to deal with it. Instead, he nodded as he climbed out of the car. “Thanks. Stay safe, Harwood.”

He was surprised to find the club open and the interior showing no indication of the destruction from the night before. There was no sign of Lucifer on the club level, so he wove through the press of bodies on the dance floor toward the elevator, noting Amenadiel at the bar but not bothering to acknowledge him.

The lights were low and the apartment was quiet but he was pretty sure where he’d find Lucifer. He headed for the balcony, noting a broken glass on the floor near the piano. There was a wet spot on the wall above it – clearly Lucifer was angry enough to waste high end alcohol, making Pierce wonder if things were beyond repair already.

Lucifer was seated on the balcony, staring out over the city. Seeing that his hands were empty, Pierce stopped to pour drinks before stepping outside to join him. He knew Lucifer could hear him moving around, but he didn’t turn around or speak. He did accept the Scotch, but without even a glance at Pierce.

“I’m sorry,” Pierce said. “I should have called.” He paused for a moment, but Lucifer still didn’t respond. “There was a shooting downtown. Barstead was hurt, and Cole from Traffic. I didn’t even think to call until about 20 minutes ago, but I was afraid you’d be too pissed to answer so I just came straight here instead.”

“Why, Lieutenant, I think that’s the most words I’ve heard you string together since we’ve met.” Lucifer finally looked up at him and his expression was unexpectedly soft. “Are you okay?”

Pierce nodded, swallowing hard against a sudden surge of emotion. He’d been expecting anger – a fight – not understanding. Lucifer had surprised him for a second time today and now he surprised himself by wanting to talk about what had happened. “I was riding with Barstead, trying to decide whether to force him into retirement.” Barstead was in his late sixties, married to the job for so long that his children had grown up without him and his wife had moved on. He was a solid detective but had started to slow down over the last few years. “There was an active shooter call. Cole was already hit - he was on the ground by his car when we got there. His partner was down too but turns out that was just a graze. He was on the far side of the car – good cover, but Cole was right out there in the open and the shooter was practically daring us to go get him. I told Barstead to wait, started out there myself, but the old fuck didn’t listen. Insisted he had to help them – called them kids. He took one in the chest. Probably won’t last the night.” Pierce grimaced. If Barstead had listened, he would have been safely retired by the end of the month – like it or not – and his daughter would have been saved from her futile bedside vigil. He tossed back his drink, relishing the burn.

Lucifer stood and took the empty glass from his hand. “Were you hurt? You seem a little off.”

“Just a flesh wound, by now. It’s not important. I’m just… there was nothing I could do. Barstead reports to me. He’s my responsibility and I couldn’t do anything for him.”

“Let’s have a look at this flesh wound of yours.” 

Gentle hands removed his coat and borrowed shirt then Lucifer stepped back, eyeing the blood smears on his chest critically.

“It’s not all mine.” He hadn’t had the time or resources to clean off all of Barstead’s blood in the tiny hospital closet and it was mixed with his own blood, which had started to soak through the makeshift bandage that he’d fashioned out of his shirt and some stolen hospital gauze and tape. He hadn’t been willing to pull doctors away from more serious patients. Maybe he’d wanted to suffer a little – doing penance for surviving when his men might not.

Lucifer’s touch was feather-light as he stripped away the bandages from the entry and exit wounds in Pierce’s abdomen. “It’s just seeping a little. Not too heavy.”

“Can you wrap it for me so I can go home and get cleaned up?”

“No.” Lucifer was smirking. “We have business to attend to. You can get cleaned up here.”

“Lucifer, I’ve had a shit day. I’m tired. I’m covered in blood. My clothes are covered in blood. I just want to shower, change into something clean, and go to bed.”

Lucifer’s smirk transformed into something gentler and this time when he reached toward Pierce he didn’t stop himself, resting his hand on the other man’s cheek.

“We can take care of all those things here. After all, this is going to be your home now.”

Deciding he didn’t have the energy to argue, Pierce just glared, hoping Lucifer would take the hint and move things along.

“Are you still in that dive motel?”

He felt like he should be angry that Lucifer had been checking up on him, but he just nodded his head and allowed himself to be led to the bathroom.

“Now, you climb right in there while I take care of your things.”

As he adjusted the water temperature and stripped out of his bloody pants, Pierce heard Lucifer in the next room.

“Lonnie? Do you remember that favor you owe me? Time to pay up… I need you to go to this address and pick up some items… Yes, Lonnie, I know it’s a dive. Did I ask you for a review?”

He stepped under the running water, drowning out the rest of the conversation, but Pierce felt a warmth that had nothing to do with the heat of the shower. He’d been in a lot of relationships, mostly in the distant past, but had never had one where he wasn’t the caregiver. He’d seen Lucifer’s idea of caring before - grand gestures that were designed just as much to call attention to himself as they were to help someone else. This didn’t feel like that though – it felt quiet and thoughtful and… real. He shook his head, derailing that train of thought. It was definitely not a good idea to form an emotional attachment at this point. He’d been down that road far too many times in the past to dive headfirst into a new entanglement, particularly with someone as impulsive as Lucifer. Better to look at it as a deal – a transaction -at least for now.

He stepped out of the shower to find his bloody clothes had been replaced by a pair of cutoff sweats and a t-shirt, stacked neatly next to a fluffy, white bath towel. The running water had reopened the bullet wound and it was dribbling steadily from both ends, making him reluctant to use the pristine towel. He carefully dried around the injury then set the towel aside, grabbing a handful of toilet paper to mop at the trickles of blood. The clothes were not his, but they appeared to be clean so he pulled the shorts on, keeping them low on his hips to avoid the wounds. 

Lucifer let himself in without knocking, carrying a first aid bag. He pushed Pierce’s hands away and proceeded to clean and dress the wounds, showing a lot less concern for the towel.

“I had to go down to the club for the kit again,” he said conversationally as he applied the last strip of tape. It was an innocuous comment. They both knew there was normally no need for first aid in his home.

“Surprised you didn’t just leave it up here after the chainsaw,” Pierce responded, allowing himself to be drawn into conversation, in spite of himself.

He thought he saw Lucifer tense as he reached for the shirt, but his expression was neutral by the time he looked up. “I wasn’t sure you’d be willing to try something that extreme again anytime soon.” He handed over the shirt and Pierce looked at it then held it up with a quizzical look on his face. It proclaimed in neon green letters that ‘Mosquitos Suck’.

“Right,” Lucifer laughed. “Not mine and I don’t generally choose my companions for their fashion sense. Or their intellect.”

Pierce pretended to be offended. “Did you just insult the way I dress and imply that I’m stupid?” It was his usual deadpan delivery and he could feel Lucifer reading his expression for a few seconds before responding.

“I certainly don’t have anything flattering to say about the way you dress, but I do have to admit you’re smarter than most of my past involvements. Now get that shirt on so I can tuck you into bed and go wait for your things to arrive.” He said the last as if it were a terrible inconvenience, but he was grinning in spite of himself.

“I thought you wanted to discuss the deal tonight?” 

Lucifer led him to the bed and turned down the covers. “Just go to sleep, Marcus. We’ll talk tomorrow. After all, we have all the time in the world.”

Pierce was starting to think he should get used to being off-balance. He’d made a deal with the devil but instead, at least for today, he seemed to have gotten Luke. They’d fought a lot on that undercover assignment but there was no question that they’d become comfortable with each other and an affection had developed, clearly not just on his side.

 

Lucifer sat at the piano to wait for Pierce’s things to be delivered, playing softly. The piece was mellow, something by Bach. He couldn’t remember the name, but his fingers automatically knew where to go. He offhandedly hoped that Pierce didn’t mind the music, but it wasn’t meant for him. It was an attempt to sooth his own frayed nerves. He was relieved when the elevator opened and Lonnie was there to pull him out of his thoughts.

“This is everything?” The younger man was straining under the weight of a single bag – an oversized duffel.

Lonnie nodded, clearly anxious to be done and away. Their deal had gone well – better than well – for him, but he had gone off the rails at one point and been exposed to Lucifer’s darker side.

Lucifer handed him Pierce’s key. “Take this back to the motel and check out of the room and then, assuming nothing is missing, our deal is done.”

Lonnie nodded again, apparently unable to find his voice, and darted back into the elevator. He poked nervously at the buttons, looking anywhere but at Lucifer, until the doors closed.

Hefting the bag, he placed it outside the bedroom. He definitely wasn’t ready for sleep and didn’t want to disturb Pierce unnecessarily. He sat back at the piano, resting his hands on the keys but not playing, as he thought about that simple consideration. It wasn’t like him to spend time on other people’s feelings, but he found himself doing things for Pierce or thinking about how what he did would affect Pierce. Things like trying harder to be focused at work because it would reflect well on the lieutenant. It felt so natural, he hadn’t been fully aware he was doing it. With that realization, he expected to be disgusted with himself. He was the devil, for Dad’s sake. He gave it a few seconds, but there was no anger, no disgust. It felt right, and that was what had kept him so off balance all day, really for the past few days. He’d been unable to get Pierce out of his head since that undercover operation and that had driven him to up the ante on their deal even though he knew it was a dangerous proposition to become emotionally invested in a man who wanted nothing more than to die.

The elevator dinged again and Amenadiel stepped out. Lucifer sighed – lecture time again.

“Where is he?”

“He’s sleeping. Keep your voice down.”

“Why is he sleeping here? I thought you were going to stay away from him.”

“No,” Lucifer corrected, “you told me to stay away from him. With that, you should have assumed that I wouldn’t.”

Amenadiel closed his eyes and took a deep breath, gathering his patience. When he opened his eyes again he was able to calmly nod, acknowledging the point.

“But tell me, brother, why is he here?”

“We’ve renegotiated the terms of our deal. You should probably get used to seeing him around here all the time. Or you could go somewhere else and stop dropping by to judge me and criticize my choices.”

“You know that’s not happening,” he responded, still calm. “You’re my test.”

“That’s bullshit. You have no way of knowing if that’s true.”

“It feels right, brother. And that’s why I had to come up here and check on you and remind you of the danger you’re putting yourself in.”

“Bloody hell. He’s not here to kill me – he’s here so I can kill him.”

“You don’t know that for sure.”

“I do. His greatest desire is to die. I asked him.” Lucifer jumped up from the piano to pace, hoping to burn off some of his frustration.

Amenadiel tried changing tactics. “If he’s here all the time, what about Chloe?”

Lucifer shook his head angrily. So much for the pacing. “She’s still Dad’s pawn. I can’t stop caring about her – believe me, I’ve tried - but there can’t be a relationship when I don’t know what his motives were when he put her in my path.”

“I still think she’d be safer for you.”

“You think that the woman who makes me susceptible to injury and death is safer?” Lucifer laughed bitterly. “I think you’ve lost your mind.”

“You have nothing in common with him, other than immortality, and you try the patience of pretty much everyone you meet.” Amenadiel reached out to touch his shoulder. “How long do you really think this can last? And what do you think he’ll do to you when you fail him? He’s a murderer, Luci, and you’ve given him easy access to weapons that can kill you.”

“A lot of people are murderers, but you don’t see them condemned to walk the Earth for all eternity.”

“He killed his brother,” Amenadiel raised his voice, giving in to his anger.

“So did I,” Lucifer shouted back. He took a few seconds to compose himself before continuing. Amenadiel opened his mouth to respond, but couldn’t find the words, and a flash of guilt crossed his face.

“Dad screwed him over, just like he did me. He screwed you too, but you’re too stubborn to admit it. I just want to make it right for him.” Lucifer was calm again and Amenadiel recognized the resolve in his voice. “He’s just so… tired. It’s like he’s so worn down by the world that he’s forgotten how fun it can be. I want to help him, brother. I may not be able to give him his greatest desire right away, but maybe I can get him to feel again and enjoy life until he doesn’t have to live it anymore.”

He could tell, looking in his brother’s eyes that Lucifer was sincere and was pleading with him for understanding. He wanted to give in, to tell him that he understood; to feel the closeness of being true brothers again after so much time at odds. He was sure this wasn’t God’s plan, though, and he was, before all other things, God’s warrior and favorite son.

“Luci, I can’t help you. You know it’s not what Father would want.”

Tightened lips and eyes that flashed red didn’t intimidate him at all. Instead, of reacting, he looked away, giving his brother a moment to control his feelings. He didn’t see the punch coming, but suddenly he was on his back on the floor.

“It looks like you’ve already had one fight tonight,” he said, motioning at the broken glass, not far from where he’d fallen. “Are you really looking for another?” He stood and brought his fists up, not willing to give away another free hit. He didn’t really want to fight, but there would definitely be payback for that cheap shot.

Lucifer laughed, bitter and mocking. “We didn’t fight. I did that before Pierce got here. He was late and I was angry, but when he arrived he was hurt and I had to take care of him. I forgot about the glass until now.”

Amenadiel stared at him in amazement. His brother, who had the worst temper of all the angels and had been known to hold a grudge indefinitely, had just admitted to forgetting his anger due to concern for another. He lowered his fists abruptly.

“I can’t help you, Luci, but I give you my word that I won’t interfere or act against this relationship. That’s the best I can offer for now.” He extended his hand, almost smiling at the surprise on his brother’s face.

Lucifer studied him for a minute before accepting his handshake. “For now,” he echoed. “And it’s not a relationship – it’s a deal.” He turned away to clean up the broken glass.

Amenadiel tried not to laugh. “Right.” He turned and walked out before the moment could be ruined.

With his brother gone and the glass taken care of, Lucifer found himself strangely uncertain as to what he should do. There was definitely chemistry with Pierce, but they hadn’t finalized the details of their deal and he wasn’t sure how Pierce would react if he just climbed into bed with him. He stood in the doorway, watching the form on the bed, trying to decide while simultaneously, mentally kicking himself for being undecided. It wasn’t like him to hesitate. It wasn’t like him to put so much weight on what someone else thought, but here he was. He cared about this man. Enough to do anything necessary to give him what he wanted regardless of the fact that, should he succeed, he’d be left with nothing in the end.

A sleepy voice came from the bed. “Are you just going to stare at me all night?”

“I’m really enjoying the view,” Lucifer flirted. Then he realized the full implication of Pierce being awake. “Did we wake you up? Did you hear… much?” He played back the conversation in his head. Realizing all that had been said, he froze in the doorway, holding his breath as he waited for the answer.

Pierce clearly heard the tension in his voice and his own voice was uncharacteristically reassuring in response. “I didn’t hear anything I didn’t already know.” He rolled over and met Lucifer’s eyes in the dim light. “You have no reason to be ashamed.”

“Ashamed?” No longer uncertain, Lucifer challenged him. “Let me remind you – I’m the devil. Why would you think I’d be ashamed?”

Pierce sat up with a sigh. “Do you want me to answer that?”

Lucifer hesitated, anger dissipating as he considered. “I guess you’d better,” he said finally. “We might as well put everything on the table.” He looked down at the floor, as if wishing it would open up and swallow him.

“You’re ashamed of your family – your father did this to me and your brother won’t help you fix it. You’re ashamed because I heard what you feel about me and you think that weakens your position. But most of all, you’re ashamed because you killed your brother.” He paused for a second. “I think that about covers it, right?”

“Right,” Lucifer agreed, his voice low. “So where does that leave us?” 

“Look, I don’t do touchy-feely,” Pierce said. When Lucifer didn’t respond, he grimaced, but continued. “My deal is with you, not with your family. I don’t give a shit about what they think or do. As for you, I don’t know how you did it, but you got under my skin, inside my head, and I want to see where this could go just as much as you do. If nothing else, it’ll at least be a nice distraction. Most importantly, I know how you feel about killing your brother – I’ve already been there. I won’t judge you for it – you’re already judging yourself.”

Lucifer looked up and there was hope in his eyes. Pierce nodded and extended a hand.

“If you’re done being broody, why don’t you come over here and get started showing me how ‘fun’ life can be? Then maybe later this week we can take another shot at killing me.”

With his customary smirk, Lucifer accepted the invitation.


	3. The First Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first night ended smoothly enough, but will things look different by the light of day?

Pierce was a little slow to move when his alarm went off at 5am. Still mostly asleep, he tried to roll away from the sound but failed due to a warm body pressed up against his back; a body that also shifted and let out a loud, angry moan that quickly turned into a growl.

“I know that racket wasn’t part of the deal,” Lucifer groaned, shoving at his shoulder.

Pierce reached for his phone without looking and cursed when it fell to the floor, alarm still blaring. Why the hell had he set the volume so high… He was still being pushed from behind and he grudgingly opened his eyes, tracked down the phone and shut it off. He staggered toward the bathroom without a word and rushed through his morning routine. Feeling slightly more human, he stopped by the bed as he buttoned his shirt.

“Sorry, it won’t usually be this early,” he apologized. “I need to get in to go through the reports from last night before the chief calls, and I want to stop at the hospital first.” He leaned over to plant a kiss on the top of Lucifer’s head – the only part of him not engulfed in the blankets – feeling slightly embarrassed by the sentimentality until an arm snaked out and yanked him down onto the bed. They kissed briefly, then Lucifer scrambled out of bed and started throwing clothes on. 

Pierce stared at him. “What are you doing? And how the hell do you taste so good, first thing in the morning?”

Lucifer smiled broadly. “Angelic mouth, I guess. And I’m getting dressed so I can drop you at the hospital. You left your bike at work.”

“You don’t have to get up. I can get a squad car to pick me up.” Mentally kicking himself for forgetting, he snaked an arm around Lucifer’s waist and pulled him close. “I didn’t mean to get you up this early.”

“Sure, you’re okay with the whole department knowing you spent the night here, so I’ll just climb right back into bed.” Bumping their hips together playfully, Lucifer tossed a sweatshirt over his head. Pierce eyed his outfit quizzically – yesterday’s suit pants and a faded sweatshirt.

Lucifer shrugged. “I’m just going to drop you and come back here. No need to get dressed up for that.”

Pierce reached out and tousled his already mussed hair. “I think I like this look.” He laughed as Lucifer scowled at him before ducking away to get his car keys. 

 

He was surprised and relieved when he arrived at the hospital and found that Barstead had made it through the night. He was still in critical condition in the ICU, but there was some cautious optimism. Cole was actually awake and there was talk about moving him off the ICU later in the day. He talked to the doctor, checked in on Barstead’s daughter, who was sleeping, and had a quick conversation with Cole. He brushed away the younger man’s thanks and awkwardly accepted a hug from his wife before reaching out to dispatch to have a car pick him up. With luck, he could be in the office by 7:30 and get a head start on the paperwork that he’d skipped the night before.

The officer who picked him up treated him as if he was a hero, making him more uncomfortable than Mrs. Cole’s hug, and he was relieved to get out of the cruiser at the office. A surprising number of his detectives were already in, and it felt like running a gauntlet of congratulations to get to his office. He tried not to scowl or glare at anyone, just nodding until he was able to hide behind his closed door. Leaning back against the door, he wondered what that room full of detectives would say if they knew the truth – he wasn’t a hero at all, just a man who didn’t care if he died. For a second, he considered opening the door and telling them, putting his immortality on display, but it wasn’t worth the effort or the complications that would follow. Sighing, he sat at his desk and noticed a brown paper bag waiting for him. He read the note on the outside of the bag and smiled – ‘Pierce’s Bag of Fun’. Opening it, he pulled out a piece of notepaper and a pink frosted donut with rainbow sprinkles. He took a bite of the donut as he read the note: 

Lieutenant – Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. I don’t know that this travesty of sugar and fat counts, but it was the best I could do with your schedule so up in the air. I tried to get the bakery to add a smiley face to a chocolate donut, but they objected very strenuously – retaliation may be in order, at a later date. Fortunately, I remembered that Detective Decker’s offspring called pink the ‘funnest’ color, so I settled for second best. Enjoy the sprinkles. -L

So, Lucifer thought that a pink donut would help him enjoy life again. He shook his head, laughing – the man really was an idiot.

There was a tentative knock at the door, and Decker popped her head in, looking a little unsettled. “Is there anything I can help you with? I know there must be a lot of paperwork around the shooting…”

Pierce shook his head, dropping the smile for his usual impassive expression. “I’ve got the reports and the shooter was caught. No need for a detective on this one, Decker. Get on with your regular caseload.” He set the paper in his hand to one side and shuffled some paperwork around on his desk, dismissing her without another word.

 

Ella was waiting for her in the lab. “Well? Was he all heroic? Did he tell you about what it was like?”

Chloe shook her head. “I didn’t ask him. He was… he was smiling and I think I heard him laugh before I went in. I’d never heard him laugh before and then he got all serious when he saw me and it made me nervous.”

“Maybe he was smiling at you and got embarrassed. I still say there’s tons of chemistry between you two.”

“Yeah. That’s why he kissed Lucifer.” There might have been bitterness in her voice, but she’d had enough of Ella’s perky optimism and just wanted to put the whole ‘chemistry’ delusion to rest.

“Oh, I heard about that,” Ella said, eyes widening. “But maybe Lucifer kissed him, not the other way around. I’m telling you, Pierce is so into you.”

“It was Pierce. I saw it.” She spoke harshly, intent on shutting Ella down, then felt terrible when she saw the hurt on the younger woman’s face. “I’m sorry. I just don’t want to talk about chemistry that doesn’t exist.” She wished she’d never listened to Ella. Maybe there had been a spark, but she’d practically thrown herself at the lieutenant and he’d rejected her – not good at relationships. Then, a day later, he’d been kissing her partner. 

“But why Lucifer?” Ella asked, oblivious to her wish to drop the subject. “They don’t get along at all.”

Chloe shrugged. “Lucifer said it was some sort of deal or bet or something.”

Ella smiled, patting her on the shoulder in a way that was probably meant to be reassuring. “There you go – it was clearly a one time thing.”

Sometimes the only way to stop Ella was to agree with her, so Chloe smiled back and nodded, relieved when the subject was dropped. She didn’t know what was going on between Lucifer and the lieutenant but, from the intensity of that kiss, she was pretty sure it wasn’t over. 

“This place is boring in the morning.” The both jumped in surprise as Lucifer wandered in, sipping a coffee. “Well, I’ll know never to come in this early again.”

Ella stared at him. “How can you say that today? Everyone wanted to know what happened with the shooting, so practically the whole squad is here early. This is the busiest morning I’ve seen here. Like, ever.”

“It appears that we have different definitions of busy, Miss Lopez.” Lucifer eyed her skeptically.

“Did you hear anything about the shooting? Is that why you’re here? They were saying last night that it looked like Barstead wouldn’t make it, but I heard he’s doing better this morning.”

Chloe was surprised to see relief flash across Lucifer’s face, gone as quickly as it had come.

“That’s certainly good news,” he said, with a more customary air of indifference. “I haven’t heard the full story yet.”

Ella took the statement to mean that he wanted to hear, and launched into a lengthy narrative, culminating with Pierce’s heroic rescue of Officer Cole. The sound of someone clearing his throat brought her story to an abrupt end – Pierce was standing in the doorway, and he didn’t look happy.

“It’s an incident, Lopez, not a movie of the week. Tone it down.” He turned to Chloe. “The Harriman case – what’s the status?”

“Interviewing Mrs. Harriman again this afternoon. I’m sure she’s hiding something.” 

Pierce nodded and looked at Lucifer. Chloe felt a sudden, strange tension in the room.

“You’re here early.”

“Well, Lieutenant, for some reason I found myself up at the crack of dawn today, and I thought I’d see how you working stiffs function at this inhumane hour.”

Pierce’s lips twitched, but he merely nodded again and walked back out the door without further comment.

“We’re going back to see Mrs. Harriman?” Lucifer asked, practically rubbing his hands together with glee. “She’s been very naughty with the tennis coach, and the interior decorator, and probably the golf coach…”

Chloe nodded. “Giving a lot of people motive to kill her husband. Hopefully we can get something out of her today.” Their previous interview attempt had ended with the widow in tears, although they were both unconvinced that they were real.

Swallowing the last of his coffee, Lucifer headed out the door. “I’m going to get a refill. This time of day is too dull to face without a sufficient quantity of caffeine.”

The lieutenant arrived at the coffee maker at the same time, empty mug in hand.

“I think I liked your earlier look better,” Pierce said as he filled his mug.

Lucifer smirked, adjusting the cuffs of his suit. “I’ll keep that in mind for later.” He poured his own refill and winked as he walked away.

 

As soon as Lucifer walked out, Ella started jumping up and down and clapping. “See? See? I told you it was nothing. They barely even looked at each other. And the tension when Pierce was talking to you? I could have cut it with this scalpel.”

Chloe shook her head. “I’m pretty sure I had nothing to do with that tension.” She hurried out the door, not giving the younger woman an opportunity to respond. She really was going to have to have a chat with Lucifer.

 

She’d expected to have a chance to talk on the way to see Mrs. Harriman, but he spent the ride reviewing the case file and reading excerpts to her. It wasn’t something he normally did, and she was left wondering if he was trying to avoid her questions.

Mrs. Harriman took her time answering the door. When she finally appeared, she was dressed in a negligee with a short, satin robe loosely tied over the top. 

“I’m sorry,” she told them, “I’m having such a hard time getting up in the morning with James gone.”

Decker nodded, but she wasn’t buying it. The woman’s hair and makeup were perfect.

“Mrs. Harriman, we made an appointment to sit down with you and ask a few questions. That’s not going to be a problem, is it?” If the answer was yes, there was a trip downtown in her future, but no need to be unfriendly at this point.

“I’d be happy to talk to you. Anything I can do to help find the monster who killed my poor Jimmy.” She batted her eyelashes at Lucifer as she spoke, taking his arm and leading them into the living room. She led him to the couch, settling in close and motioning Chloe into a nearby chair.

“What is it that you need to know, Detective?” she asked, still wrapped around Lucifer’s arm.

“Well, it seems like you may have had a lot of… relationships with other men. Do you think any of them might have… wanted you for himself?”

“They were just friends,” Mrs. Harriman pouted at Lucifer. “Why is she making me sound like I was fooling around? I would never do that to Jimmy!” She leaned over, placing her head on his shoulder.

They had statements from all of the boyfriends, confirming that more than friendship was involved, but Decker bit her tongue knowing that making Mrs. Harriman defensive would just end the interview.

“I’m sorry,” she said. “I wasn’t implying anything. We’re just looking for any information you can provide about any enemies your husband may have had.”

Lucifer shifted the woman off his shoulder. “Melanie, you need to tell us what happened here. We can’t help you unless you help us.” She looked him in the eyes, and he leaned in a little. “Tell me what it is that you desire.”

“I want someone to satisfy me sexually.” She paused, resting her head on Lucifer’s shoulder again. “I thought it might be Glen. He’s come the closest, so far, but then he got crazy jealous. I think he might have killed Jimmy.”

“Who is Glen?” Decker asked, trying not to laugh as Lucifer tried to gently disentangle himself from the woman.

“The golf instructor,” he said before Mrs. Harriman could answer. “Weren’t you listening to anything I said in the car?”

“Lucifer,” the woman cooed, “I hear you’re an extraordinary lover. Maybe you can help me out.”

Leaping up from the couch, Lucifer shook his head. “I’m afraid I’m not available at the moment, Melanie. My calendar is a little full.” He started toward the door. “Detective, I think we should follow up on the golf coach, don’t you?” He was gone, leaving both women staring after him in surprise.

 

Back on the road, she finally had the opportunity to talk. “What, exactly, is going on with you? You’re weird again today.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Detective. I think I’ve been very helpful today.”

She took her eyes off the road for a second to give him an exasperated look. “You have been. You were super focused and helpful yesterday too. Not normal. Also, you just turned down a hot woman asking for sex, you were in the office hours earlier than usual, oh, and you kissed the boss yesterday for some kind of bet or something. Just tell me - what the hell is going on with you?”

Lucifer sighed and shook his head. “A sudden desire to be of use, perhaps?”

“It all started yesterday with Pierce. Tell me what’s going on with you two.” No beating around the bush. She was worried and she wanted answers.

“I told you yesterday. We made a deal. I also told you the details are private.”

“Lucifer, you haven’t been yourself since it happened. I’m worried about you.”

“I’m trying to be helpful here and you’re worried. That’s just great, Detective.”

“You also turned down Mrs. Harriman. And the look on your face when she was climbing all over you – you looked horrified.” She thought about it for a minute. “Is this part of your deal with Pierce? You’ll act more professional?”

He just looked at her.

“Fine,” she said. “No more questions. Just, if it’s not part of the deal, I really miss my partner and I’d like to have him back.”

His eyes warmed and he smiled at her. “It wasn’t part of the deal. I just thought I could make the squad look better if I was more engaged. If you want me to be unprofessional, who am I to argue with that?”

Rolling her eyes, Chloe wondered if she was going to regret the request.

 

They stopped by the golf course, but Gus wasn’t working and no one seemed to know what he might do on his day off. A trip to his home yielded equally unsatisfying results, and they had to wonder whether he’d skipped town. Resolving to check again later, they headed back to the station to take a closer look at his background.

The atmosphere in the office was markedly different from the morning. There were only a few detectives present and they were all somber, most talking quietly in small groups, looking worried. Chloe saw Ella waving frantically from her lab and headed that way with Lucifer on her heels.

“There was a call from the hospital. It doesn’t look good for Barstead,” she told them anxiously.

Lucifer immediately turned to look at Pierce’s office. Following his eyes, Chloe saw that it was empty. 

Ella saw where they were looking. “He left for the hospital about ten minutes ago. Told everyone else to wait here and he’d report back.” 

Two hours felt more like two days, especially with Lucifer pacing through most of the wait. When Pierce finally came through the door, everyone froze. He stopped in the middle of the room and waited for them to gather.

“Cole is out of Intensive Care – he’s going to be fine. Barstead… there was some internal bleeding this morning. They took him back into surgery, but he had a heart attack on the table. He didn’t make it.” He looked around at them. “His family will be making the arrangements. The PBA is going to be around, collecting donations. Do your part for them.” With that, he retreated to his office, closing the door and picking up the phone.

Chloe put an arm around Ella, who was trying not to cry, and led her back to her lab. Lucifer poured a mug of coffee and waited. As soon as Pierce put down the phone, he let himself into the office.

Pierce barely glanced at him. “Now is not a good time, Lucifer.”

“I just wanted to see if you’re okay.”

“This isn’t about what you want,” Pierce hissed, voice low, anger burning in his eyes.

When Lucifer started to respond, he waved him off. “It’s also not about what I want, or I’d be the one in the hospital morgue. And it sure as hell isn’t about what Barstead’s daughter wanted. Or Barstead, himself, for that matter. If this moment belonged to anyone, it should be him. So you sure as hell shouldn’t make it about you.” Pierce glared at him, challenging him to say anything else.

Lucifer’s eyes burned red – he was furious – but he walked over and set the coffee down on the desk before stalking out, closing the door firmly behind him.

The rest of the day seemed to drag by for Pierce, filled with tasks that reminded him of the loss. Finally, well after 7pm, he was able to put his coat on and head for the door. Most of the squad was gone and there was no sign of Lucifer. He wasn’t surprised, just disappointed, mostly with himself. He’d wanted to drive him away – couldn’t fully shut down his emotions with Lucifer nearby – so he shouldn’t be upset that it had worked.

The garage was also nearly empty, but there was a familiar convertible parked sideways, across several spaces, near his bike, and a familiar figure leaning against it. His lips twitched and he almost smiled.

“Surely you didn’t think I’d trust you to drive yourself home, unchaperoned, in your current state of mind.” It was both an expression of concern and a reminder that he’d been out of line.

“I’m not leaving my bike here again tonight,” Pierce responded. “Unless you’re looking to get up early again…”

“I’ll follow you,” Lucifer said, quickly. “Joe will have dinner waiting for us at the bar.”

Pierce dropped his bag, stalking over to Lucifer and grabbing his lapels. “I’m… I was an ass,” he said, and the kiss that followed was gentle, apologetic. Lucifer’s arms came up around his waist loosely, offering comfort, but not restraining him if it wasn’t what he wanted. Pierce surprised them both, leaning into the embrace for a minute before reluctantly stepping away. 

“Thanks,” he said, catching and squeezing Lucifer’s hand. Lucifer didn’t hesitate to squeeze back.

“Come on, Marcus. I’ll follow you home.”


	4. The First Week

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a week together they're both still alive but neither one is sure that they can say more that that...

“It’s good that we fit together so well in bed, because we sure as hell aren’t working too well out of it.” Pierce glared at Lucifer’s back. 

The subject of his anger appeared to be oblivious – sitting at the piano, playing softly. After a minute, he sighed deeply, pulling the cover over the piano keys and turning around.

“I sent her away. I’m not sure what else I could do.”

“A strange woman shows up in the middle of the night and tries to climb into bed with you, then attacks me with her 4-inch heels when she finds out you’re not alone. And you don’t think that deserves an apology?”

“I thought you wouldn’t want to see her again. You want me to call her and have her come back to apologize?”

Pierce stared, open mouthed. “I want you to apologize. And I want you to secure the elevator so the next crazy stalker can’t get in.”

“You’re right about the elevator,” Lucifer agreed. “But, while I am sorry that you were assaulted, I will not apologize for Mandy’s actions. I’m not responsible for her.”

Pierce decided that was close enough to an apology for the moment and moved on to the next uncomfortable topic.

“I think it’s time to talk about this deal.”

Lucifer nodded. “I’ve been waiting for you to bring it up,” he admitted.

“And you couldn’t mention it yourself?” Pierce caught himself staring in disbelief again.

“I liked the way things were,” Lucifer responded with a shrug. “Ignore each other at work, come home and eat together, try to kill you, and fall into bed for mind-numbing sex.”

“I don’t think it’s working.” The words made Lucifer flinch and Pierce was pissed at himself that he cared. “I just mean the ‘trying to kill me’ part,” he elaborated. “I don’t think you’re any closer to figuring it out.”

Lucifer laughed. “And I think we’re closer every day. We’ve got a list started with all the ways you’ve tried to die, so I won’t be duplicating previous deaths. I have a box of books on the way from that collector in Egypt. Oh, and I’ve got a line on an Etruscan dagger that looks promising.” He stood up and walked over to stand in front of Pierce. “You’ve been working on this for centuries and you’re going to get impatient with me after a week?”

Pierce grimaced. “Fair point,” he conceded. 

“Also, don’t forget the side project – if you’re not suffering, it’s not really a curse anymore, and might be lifted.” Seeing skepticism, he quickly changed the subject. “Now, tell me what you want to clarify.”

Pierce nodded. “First, is there a time frame around this? At what point do you give up? Second, is it a secret arrangement or are we going to be an actual couple, out in the open? Third, what’s in it for you? I mean, if you kill me then I’m not here to do you any favors.”

“There’s no time frame. I gave you my word, and I’ll keep it, regardless of how long it takes. It’s only a secret if you choose for it to be. And you’re giving me what I want right now. We’re pissing off my family and I’m spending time with someone who actually understands who I am and isn’t scared or in awe. Oh, and the sex is fantastic. Anything else you’d like to cover?”

Pierce nodded. “One last thing. What if one of us gets fed up with this relationship and wants out?”

Lucifer sighed. “I’d suggest a clause to evaluate the relationship every ten years and make sure that we’re both willing to continue.”

“Ten years?” 

“It’s barely any time when you’re looking at eternity.”

“Fine. And I don’t want it to be a secret – we’ve been skulking around at work like lovesick teenagers avoiding parental disapproval. It’s ridiculous.”

“Excellent.” Lucifer rubbed his hands together. “If we’re all done here, I’d like to electrocute you in the whirlpool before bed.”

Pierce stared at him like he had a screw loose. “Um… it’s not even lunch time. I don’t think an electrocution is going to take that long.”

“I didn’t say we’d be going to sleep.” 

“You know, I don’t want to spoil your moment, or be overly confident that I’m going to fuck you senseless today, but I’ve already electrocuted myself in a bathtub.”

“I saw it on the list, but this is a whirlpool, and I’m not planning on using a toaster.” He smiled and was gratified when Pierce accepted his extended hand and allowed himself to be led toward the bathroom without any expression of skepticism.

They missed lunch. It was nearly dinner time when Lucifer finally roused himself and wriggled free of Pierce’s embrace. The lieutenant was still a cuddler, at least when he was asleep and couldn’t stop himself. He fumbled around the room until he found his pants, wadded up near the bathroom door. Sighing at the wrinkles, he pulled them on and padded through the apartment to the kitchen. The room had gotten more use in the past week than it had over the previous five years. It wasn’t that he couldn’t cook; more that he didn’t often bother to cook for himself. Now, with a second mouth to feed, he’d rekindled his love of the kitchen. Nothing better on a Sunday night than breakfast. Granted, that usually meant a greasy spoon at 3am, but he was perfectly capable of making pancakes. 

As he was wrapping up, Pierce stumbled in, clearly drawn by the smell of bacon. He smiled, wrapping his hands around the mug of coffee that was waiting for him. Lucifer smiled back, sliding a plate in front of him. A huge pancake stared back at him through its eyes - two sunny side eggs. A bacon mouth and strawberry nose completed the picture.

Pierce gave him the look – the one that said ‘you’re the biggest idiot in the world – but there was affection in it – ‘you’re my idiot’ – and Lucifer leaned in for a kiss.

“You know that’s funny, you’re just too stubborn to admit it.”

Pierce shook his head, but he was trying not to laugh.

They heard the elevator ding, and Pierce gave him a pointed look. Lucifer rolled his eyes but nodded in agreement. The place was definitely too accessible. 

Pierce reached for the syrup and, when Lucifer gave him a look, shrugged. “They’re not here for me.”

“Okay. That’s fair.” 

“Lucifer?” They both recognized the voice and looked at each other. 

“Well, we did say it’s not a secret relationship.” It was Lucifer’s turn to shrug. He raised his voice to respond to their guest. “In here, Detective. You’re just in time for pancakes.”

 

She really didn’t know what to think. Lucifer, her partner, barefoot and bare-chested was cooking for the lieutenant, her boss, who – in tank top and sweat pants – was only slightly more covered. Oh, and Pierce’s pancake had a smiley face on it. She put a hand to her forehead – no fever.

“Are you okay, Decker?” Pierce asked between bites.

“Just wondering if I fell and hit my head…”

“Sit down,” Lucifer insisted. “Here, have a pancake. I’d give you a smiley face, but I only made the two eggs. Inside joke.”

Before she’d completely wrapped her head around what was happening, she was seated next to Pierce with coffee, pancakes and bacon. She picked up her fork, buying herself a little time to think. The last thing she wanted to do was make assumptions and put her foot in her mouth in front of Pierce.

“So, what brings you here this evening, Detective?” Lucifer asked, sitting on the other side of Pierce with a plate of his own.

“Well, Trixie was asking me the other night whether you’re going to come over for game night again, and I was in the neighborhood, so I thought I’d just ask in person.” When she looked up from her plate, both men were staring at her. “It’s true, she was. I mean, I also wanted to check on you. I know you had a rough week and I wanted to make sure you were okay.”

“Couldn’t be better,” Lucifer assured her, and she was relieved to see that he was sincere.

“So, what are you guys up to?” she asked, not that she was sure she wanted the answer.

“You’re looking at it. The sum total of our evening activities – pancakes.” Lucifer grinned. “Maybe pop down to the club later, but it is a school night and all.”

She was still struggling to get a handle on what was going on. Did he mean he’d pop down to the club when Pierce went home or were they both going downstairs?

Pierce finished his pancake and pushed back from the counter. “I need a shower,” he said. “Decker.” With a nod in her direction, he was gone.

“Hey! I cook, you clean!” Lucifer called after him. When there was no response, he sighed and started straightening up the kitchen. “Another pancake?” he asked, tossing the leftovers in a Ziploc when she shook her head. When the food was put away and the dishwasher loaded, he turned around to find her staring at him.

“Is this part of that deal?” she asked, trying to keep her voice steady.

“You know I won’t talk about that,” he said, gently.

“Will you tell me what’s going on here?”

“Pierce moved in. We’re going to try a relationship.” He could see that she was shaken up, but there really wasn’t an easy way to do this. At least Pierce had left him to do it – his presence would have made things even more awkward.

“How long have you been… um… together? And why didn’t you tell me before now?”

Lucifer sat back down, toying idly with his coffee. “We’ve been together for a week, but we just talked today and decided to be open about it.”

“A week? Isn’t it a little soon to be moving in together?”

“Of course, but we’ve decided it’s the best thing to do, based on our needs and expectations. Plus, he was staying in a crappy motel – no way I was going to go see him there.” His smile fell when she didn’t smile back; couldn’t even meet his eyes.

“Is this real or is it another avoidance tactic like that time you married the dancer?” It was harsher than she’d intended, but she was tired of being left out of the important parts of his life. With all the talking he did, it was amazing how little he really shared. If only he’d said something about this, maybe she could have avoided the embarrassment of being shut down by Pierce. “You didn’t trust me,” she said out loud, and the realization hurt more than she’d expected. 

Lucifer pushed his mug away and turned to her. “No. It wasn’t about you. I didn’t trust that this could actually happen.”

“If this is what you want, then I’m happy for you, Lucifer. But I’m not convinced that it is. This past week, you’ve been about as unhappy as I’ve ever seen you. Tell me that wasn’t about Pierce.”

“Detective, there are facets of this relationship that you couldn’t possibly understand. I can tell you that I’m happy now and that he would never intentionally hurt me. That’s going to have to be enough for you.”

“I’m not sure that it is.” Chloe stood up. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Detective…”

“I’ll try to understand, but I’m going to need some time to process.” She left him sitting at the counter, head lowered, staring at nothing at all.

Either Pierce had very good timing or he’d been waiting for her to leave. He stepped out of the bedroom, toweling his hair. He was barefoot, but had pulled on jeans and a t-shirt, much to her relief. It was hard enough talking to him when he was fully clothed.

“Did you hurt him?” he asked quietly. There was no heat or threat to the words, just a tired resignation.

“No more than he hurt me,” she snapped. “We’re supposed to be partners… friends.” She was mortified to find herself blinking back tears. 

“Don’t blame him – it was my fault.” Pierce wasn’t sure why he said it, except that he knew how much she mattered to Lucifer.

“You know, you didn’t have to lie to me.” Thinking of the lie dried up her tears and she was furious.

“Excuse me?”

“You said that you weren’t relationship material, but here you are, a week later, in a relationship. If you’d told me the truth, I would have been disappointed, but also happy for both of you. Instead you lied.”

“Decker, I didn’t lie. I’m terrible in relationships, but there are things about this one you can’t possibly understand. For the first time in a very long time, I have some hope and I’m not going to apologize to you – or anyone - for taking a chance on it.” He turned his back on her, disappearing into the kitchen. 

She stared after him, tossing his words around in her head. Both Pierce and Lucifer had referred to her inability to understand their relationship. Part of her wanted to dismiss it – new lovers making a big deal about how special their connection was – but it felt like there was more to it than that. Still mulling that over, she let herself out. As angry as she was with the situation – with Lucifer – she still felt a responsibility, as his friend, to make sure that he wasn’t setting himself up for disappointment.

 

Pierce found Lucifer – still staring at the counter – and wrapped his arms around him from behind.

“I’m okay,” Lucifer assured him.

“No, you’re not.”

“I will be.” He tried to shrug off the embrace. “And you don’t do touchy-feely.”

Pierce didn’t bother to argue. Instead he pulled Lucifer out of the chair and into a tight embrace. After a few seconds, Lucifer relaxed and returned the hug, letting his head drop onto Pierce’s shoulder.


	5. The First Month

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They've made it a full month and things are looking up, but what's taking the front seat - the deal or the relationship?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Consider this short little thing a bonus for this week - a longer chapter will follow at the beginning of the weekend!

The sound of flesh on flesh made Pierce grimace, and he glanced up from the report he was reviewing. Decker had just slapped Detective Morgan again. With that confirmed, he returned to his paperwork. Decker and Morgan had reached an understanding over the past few weeks. If he said something openly homophobic or made jokes at Lucifer’s expense, he was going to get slapped. After the first incident, where Morgan had addressed Lucifer as ‘Mrs. Pierce’ and Decker had slugged him, Morgan had filed an HR complaint. However, when the HR rep had discovered the cause of the altercation, Morgan had been sent to sensitivity training while Decker had received only a verbal reprimand. Not willing to sit through another seminar, he was now trying to clean up his ways. Any time he didn’t succeed, Decker issued a reminder.

Pierce had tried to thank Decker after overhearing her defend them both to another colleague, but she’d brushed him off and insisted that she was only doing it for Lucifer. Their partnership was back on good terms, but she’d remained cold toward Pierce. He wasn’t fazed by her distant behavior. As long as she behaved professionally toward him in front of co-workers, he didn’t care if she despised him on a personal level.

Decker chose that moment to poke her head into his office. “Any idea where my partner is, Lieutenant?” 

Pierce glanced at his watch. “He’s got therapy this morning. Should be in within the hour.”

She left without another word. That amusing awkwardness that she’d had around him was gone and her businesslike attitude made her like all of the other detectives milling around the office – just another mortal. Now it was only her connection to Lucifer that gave her an individual identity for him.

He looked at the time again, confirming that the day was dragging. They had dinner plans tonight, to celebrate a month together. It had been Lucifer’s idea, of course, but Pierce found himself looking forward to a night out together. When he thought about it, he was surprised that they’d lasted a month. He’d originally thought of Lucifer as an oversized child, all selfishness and dramatic emotions. It turned out that there was more depth than he’d expected and there was an emotional balance between them – each pulling the other toward a middle ground. They’d both been lonely, and maybe that had helped them to adapt and make allowances for things that probably should have been annoyances.

 

“So, a month, huh?” Linda leaned forward, inviting him to share. He’d made reference to Pierce before, but it was the first time he’d introduced the topic of their relationship without the camouflage of calling it a deal. She was only aware of the depth of the relationship through Maze and Amenadiel.

Lucifer smiled. “Yes. Who would have thought, right?”

“You didn’t expect it to last?” 

“Well, Doctor,” he began, “I was sure it could work, but everyone else seemed so sure it was a bad idea, I started to doubt myself.”

“What made you sure?”

“We have a lot in common. Immortality, screwed over by my father, lonely…”

Another first – Lucifer admitting that he’d been lonely. While both Maze and Amenadiel had serious reservations about the relationship, Linda could already see how Lucifer was benefiting. She’d noticed a few changes over the past several weeks. Most noticeably, he was much more aware of other people’s feelings. He had referenced the new relationship in the context of how it had made Chloe feel, and asked for her help to ‘not make things worse’ between them. Amenadiel was certain that there was some kind of nefarious plan in the works but, even with so little insight into the relationship, Linda was inclined to disagree. Maze, on the other hand, wasn’t convinced that Pierce was evil, she was just concerned that he was too much of a stick in the mud to keep Lucifer happy. She also seemed a little threatened by any close relationships that Lucifer developed, though. Regardless of their input, Linda was determined to form her own opinion. She did have a concern about Lucifer’s promise to find a way to kill Pierce, but he was so obviously happy that she’d decided to wait for him to bring it up when he was ready. 

“I’ve heard that he’s very reserved, while you’re very… boisterous. How does that work out?”

“If one of us gets annoyed, we say so. It doesn’t happen much anymore. I’ve tried to tone it down a bit and he’s actually expressing emotions more often.” 

“Our time is up, but tell me, any big plans to close out your first month?”

“Brazilian steak. That new place that just opened near Lux. I paid an obscene amount to get a table.”

Linda smiled at his excitement. “That sounds wonderful.”

 

It was wonderful. The steaks were outstanding, the atmosphere was amazing, and Pierce was smiling. As they walked home, their hands bumped and Lucifer took a chance, intertwining their fingers. Pierce squeezed his hand, maintaining the grip for the remainder of the walk. As they arrived, one of the valets waved them over.

“This package came before Joe got in – they left it at the booth and I didn’t see it until about an hour ago. I’m sorry, Mr. Morningstar. It’s been busy tonight.”

Lucifer waved off the apology and picked up the package. Pierce saw him tense as he read the return address but waited until they were alone in the elevator to ask about it.

“It’s that Etruscan dagger that I told you about a few weeks ago,” Lucifer said, trying to smile. “It may be the answer we’re looking for.” He exited the elevator and carried the box over to the bar, looking for a knife to open it. He tried to maintain a neutral expression but, by this point, Pierce was pretty attuned to his emotions. He crossed the room and placed a hand on top of Lucifer’s, halting the knife.

“Leave it,” he said. “It’ll still be here tomorrow.” Lucifer released the knife and Pierce adjusted the grip on his hand, using it to lead him away. “Why aren’t we soaking in the whirlpool already? I mean, if you’ve changed your mind, I guess I could jump in by myself.” 

It was a calculated statement that got exactly the effect he’d desired. Lucifer laughed out loud and raced ahead of him, stripping off clothing and dropping it as he went. Pierce grinned at that – of the two of them, Lucifer was normally much neater. He’d be moaning about the condition of his suit in the morning. Until then, Pierce had planned plenty of other activities to keep him occupied.


	6. The First Year

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They're about to celebrate a year together when a serious injury throws a wrench in the works. Sure, they'd both known that the year could end with Marcus leaving Lucifer behind, but neither had considered that their roles could be reversed...

Pierce didn’t look up from behind his desk as Espinoza let himself in without knocking.

“Lieutenant, you need to come with me right now.”

“I’m busy here, Espinoza. Whatever it is, can it wait?”

“No.” The tone was forceful, and Pierce finally looked at him, seeing concern and tension in his expression.

“What is it?” 

“We need to get to the hospital. There’s been an officer-involved shooting.”

He was puzzled now. “I didn’t hear it on the scanner.”

“That’s because Chloe called it in direct to EMS. She didn’t want you to catch it on the scanner – thought it would be better if you heard it from me.”

Pierce felt his pulse start to race and he stood up quickly, grabbing his jacket and following Espinoza out the door. “How bad?” he managed to ask, on the way to the parking lot.

“I’m not sure,” Dan admitted. “She said he took one in the chest, close range.”

Pierce started toward his bike but didn’t resist when Dan gently redirected him to a squad car. He could feel his whole body shaking and tried to fight off the panic that threatened. They were both quiet on the drive to the hospital. Even when Decker met them at the ER entrance, Pierce couldn’t summon any words. She seemed to understand and took his arm, leading him to the surgical ward’s waiting room and pushing him gently into a chair.

“He’s in surgery now. They wanted to wait for approval from Maze - she’s his emergency contact – but I couldn’t reach her and he couldn’t wait. I’m still trying to get her, but she keeps sending it to voicemail.”

“Let me do it. She knows I wouldn’t call unless it’s an emergency.” He was relieved to have something to do, but it clearly wasn’t enough of a distraction. His hands were shaking so badly that he could barely hold his phone.

Decker took it from him and connected the call before handing it back. Sure enough, Maze saw his name pop up and answered immediately. Once he’d ensured she was on her way, he slumped back in the chair and stared at the ceiling. Decker sat next to him and placed a hand on his arm in an attempt to provide reassurance.

It was only the knowledge that Lucifer didn’t want her to know the truth that prevented him from shouting at her and driving her out of the hospital. As long as she was nearby, he would only heal at a mortal rate and Pierce refused to be satisfied with that. 

Maze had apparently made a few calls of her own. Less than ten minutes passed before Amenadiel and Linda arrived. She immediately sat next to him and took his hand in her own and he was relieved to have her there. While Amenadiel and Maze continued to have reservations about their relationship, Linda gave them her full support. He’d only talked to her socially, never as a client, but Pierce had quickly come to value her friendship and the insights that she provided Lucifer. It had taken the better part of the past year, but she also had convinced Amenadiel that Pierce wasn’t a threat which, in turn, had improved the brothers’ relationship.

Decker was speaking softly to Amenadiel, explaining what had happened. “I can’t tell you how many times I’ve told him not to run off without me, but he never listens. I figured out where he was headed and tried to catch up but, as I pulled up out front, I heard the gunshot. I ran in and found him on the floor. If I’d just been one minute faster…”

“Or one minute slower,” Pierce muttered to himself. Linda squeezed his hand, and he wasn’t sure if it was meant as reassurance or a warning. He nodded without looking at her. Fortunately, Decker had missed the comment.

By the time Maze arrived, almost two hours later, the doctor was walking into the waiting room. Everyone except Pierce looked at him anxiously. Pierce continued to stare at the ceiling. He hadn’t moved or spoken to anyone throughout the wait.

“He’s stable. The bullet entered here,” he indicated upper right side, using his own chest to illustrate. “It broke one rib and scraped another, which was lucky. That changed the trajectory and minimized lung damage. We’ve removed the bullet and patched him up. Barring complications, he should be able to go home within the week and be up and about before the end of the month.”

This time, when Linda squeezed his hand, Pierce squeezed back.

The doctor looked to Maze as next-of-kin. “He’s in recovery now. In about 30 minutes we should be moving him to a room and one of you can go sit with him.”

Maze took control. “Pierce, you’re going to sit with him. Linda and Amenadiel will stay here until you’re ready to go home. Dan and I are going to take Chloe home.”

When it looked like she might object, Maze was ready. “You guys don’t want Trixie to learn about Lucifer from the news, do you?” 

Linda bit back a smile. It was amazing how much Maze had mellowed in the time they’d been friends. Even six months ago she would have been more likely to hit someone than to reason with them. There was more humanity in demons that you’d expect, not that Maze would ever admit it.

Seeing the doctor was waiting, not particularly patiently, she stood up and tugged on Pierce’s hand until he climbed to his feet. He adjusted his gaze to the floor instead of the ceiling and Linda moved her grip to his wrist, feeling for his pulse, worried that he might be in shock. He allowed her a few seconds, then pulled his arm away. She let him go – that resistance had given her what she needed to know – he was still hanging on. 

The doctor dropped them in another waiting room and left. Pierce settled into a chair, leaning back again, resuming his study of the ceiling. The weight of his worry was making it hard to breathe. He forced himself to take a deep breath and looked to Amenadiel.

“Will he heal faster with Decker gone?” He could hear fear in his voice and knew the others would too.

“Yes,” Amenadiel confirmed. “Last time he was shot, it completely healed in three days, and that was being in and out of her presence.”

“But this wound is more serious, and she’ll be back to see him tomorrow.” Linda was quick to jump in and try to set reasonable expectations. “You shouldn’t expect him to heal as quickly.”

“I need to get him out of here. If I take him away from her, he’s immortal again.”

“You need to be patient and careful,” Linda admonished. “If you take him away from medical care and the injury is too severe, he could die before his body is able to heal itself. Right?” She looked to Amenadiel for confirmation.

He shrugged. “I think that’s logical. It’s not like we have a lot of experience with mortal angels.”

Pierce looked torn between the choices and Linda jumped in again. “Let’s see what things look like in the morning. Maybe he’ll be stable enough to move without worrying and maybe Maze can do something to delay Chloe’s return.”

Amenadiel nodded. “I’ll text her.” 

“I want to take him to the Bel Air house.” Pierce looked away from the ceiling, meeting Linda’s eyes. “It’s a short trip for him and Decker’s been there. She won’t expect me to pick someplace she knows.”

A nurse popped her head around the corner. “You were waiting for Lucifer Morningstar, right?”

“Yes.” Pierce was back in control. “Where is he?”

She gestured down the hall. “Room 109.” 

Without another word, Pierce was gone.

 

Over the past year, he’d gotten accustomed to Lucifer’s nearly constant chatter. Seeing him so still and quiet was incongruous. He slumped into a chair beside the bed and stared for a few minutes. The nurse popped in to check the IV and gave him a sympathetic look.

“He’s going to be okay,” she told him. “He’s just sleeping. You know, it could be reassuring for him to know that you’re here – for you to touch him or talk to him.”

Pierce nodded and reached out hesitantly to pick up Lucifer’s hand. He knew if their positions were reversed, Lucifer would be talking his ear off and probably would find some way to get around all the wires and tubes and climb onto the bed with him, but that just wasn’t his way. He squeezed the limp hand and cleared his throat, searching for something to say.

“It’s just me here now. Linda is outside with your brother, but they only let one of us come in with you. It probably should have been one of them, huh? They both could find a lot more to say.” He took a deep breath. “You know, you scared the shit out of me today. I was just starting to feel like things were turning around. Then Espinoza came and got me and it’s like someone punched me in the gut. I haven’t felt like this in, hell, it’s been centuries.” He sighed and went silent for a minute as he reflected. “You know, you remind me of her. You talk too much, you feel everything, you’re incredibly stubborn. I’ve had relationships since, but I didn’t let any of them get this close to me. I didn’t want to feel this way ever again. I don’t know how you got in or when, but it hurts.” He squeezed Lucifer’s hand again, rubbing his own chest with his free hand as if that would decrease the pain. He froze when Lucifer’s fingers flexed, then quickly leaned forward as his eyelashes flickered.

Lucifer moaned and opened his eyes slowly, rolling them to the side to meet Pierce’s worried gaze. “What…” he managed, hoarsely.

“You were shot. Decker was there. You could have died.”

Lucifer fingers curled around his. His grip was getting stronger, but his voice was low and scratchy and he was having trouble putting words together.

“Hurts.”

“I know.” Pierce squeezed his hand.

“Sorry… ruined anniversary…”

He shook his head. “That’s not important right now.”

“Thirsty,” Lucifer told him, but wouldn’t release his hand. Pierce managed to get some water into a cup with one hand, dropped in a bendy straw, and held it while he took a sip. His eyelids were drooping, but his grip remained strong. “Stay with me?” 

Pierce nodded, looking at him like it was the stupidest question ever.

Lucifer smiled and closed his eyes. “Love you,” he said, and dropped off to sleep.

The ache in his chest was back and Pierce leaned forward, wrapping both of his hands around Lucifer’s and resting his forehead on their joined hands.

 

Linda’s hand on his shoulder woke him about an hour later. “I’m sorry to wake you, but we’re going to go. Visiting hours are over, but I talked the nurse into letting you stay with him. Amenadiel went to track down Lucifer’s blood before it gets into the system. He should be back any minute. Do you need anything before we go? Or do you want us to stay?”

Pierce shook his head. “We’ll be fine. He’s already getting stronger – he woke up earlier.”

She squeezed his shoulder. “That’s fantastic.”

“As soon as they pull these tubes, I’m taking him out of here.”

“I’ll speak to Maze about the paperwork,” she promised.

“And about keeping Decker out of here.”

“She knows, Marcus. She’ll do her best.”

He sighed. “I wish he’d just show her who he really is. This would be so much easier.”

Linda nodded, but didn’t comment. She understood Lucifer’s reluctance, but it wasn’t her place to explain his fears to Pierce. “I know it would, but there’s nothing we can do about that right now. You rest, and we’ll be back here in the morning.”

 

The doctor marveled at Lucifer’s progress and the tubes were removed before lunchtime; only oxygen and the IV remained. He was awake, but clearly in pain when Linda arrived. Pierce asked her to take his place while he ran home to pack a few things. As soon as he was gone, Lucifer opened up to her.

“I scared him.”

Linda nodded. “You scared us all.” 

“He’s trying to decide whether it’s worth it or if he should cut and run.” He was trying to sound matter-of-fact, but she could hear worry in his voice.

“Why do you say that?”

“Because the appeal of me was that I would live just as long as he does. Now the possibility of my mortality has been shoved in his face and it’s going to be hard to forget.”

“I’m not sure that I can speak to that. I don’t have a lot of experience with the expectation of immortality. I can tell you to be patient with him. He was terrified at the thought of losing you. That feeling isn’t just going to go away.”

Lucifer nodded, closing his eyes. He was healing quickly, but it was sapping all of his energy. He was sound asleep when Maze breezed in ten minutes later, waving discharge papers.

“They were pissed, but they didn’t have any choice. Pierce has a private ambulance service coming to pick him up in about half an hour, which should be perfect timing.” 

Linda quirked an eyebrow.

“I drugged Decker. It shouldn’t wear off for another hour or so.”

“Don’t you think that will make her angry?” Even outside the office, she tried to provide guidance.

“No. We had a couple drinks. She’s a lightweight. She’ll just think she had one too many.”

Linda shrugged and let it go. Sometimes you had to choose your battles.

 

Pierce returned with his oversized duffel and a cooler. Two EMTs followed him in.

“These guys are going to prep him and transport him to the house.” He glanced at Lucifer’s still form and his brow creased with worry.

“It takes a lot of energy to rebuild tissue. He’s just sleeping,” Linda assured him.

 

Lucifer slept through the transfer and woke up late in the afternoon in the first floor guest room in Bel Air. The house was quiet – Pierce was asleep in a chair next to the bed. The pain wasn’t much more than a dull ache and he was able to sit up without any effort, yanking the IV out as he did. A couple pokes with the needle confirmed that his invulnerability was back. He sat, watching Pierce sleep for a few minutes, before reaching out and trailing his fingers down the side of his face. Blue eyes opened and he watched a series of emotions flash through them – confusion, relief, joy, fear – before they settled into the usual neutral expression.

“If you’re tired, lie down with me. Otherwise, let’s talk about food. I’m burning a lot of calories, regenerating over here.” He kept his voice light, reassuring.

Pierce stretched before reaching out and catching Lucifer’s face in both hands. “How do you feel?”

“Better. Much better. Surprised to wake up here.”

Pierce shrugged, pulling off the bandages. The wound was clean and he could actually see the improvement from the morning. “We probably have two days, tops. Decker will get here eventually, but I think it’ll be low on the list.”

“Well played.” Lucifer smiled, catching on right away. When Pierce moved to rewrap his wound, he shook his head. “Leave it. I’ll be careful and by tonight it won’t need to be covered. Now, do you want to lie down while I fetch us a snack?” He laughed out loud when Pierce responded with a disgusted look. “Okay. We’ll both go.”

It was a slow walk to the kitchen. Pierce set the pace and insisted on staying close, one hand on his lower back, ready to catch him if he faltered. He was feeling fine – at least 80% - but Lucifer took advantage of the opportunity to lean against the muscular body, slowing their progress even more as he turned his head for a kiss.

“Happy Anniversary,” he said. “Sorry I ruined it.”

“You didn’t. I brought the food here and that gift you’ve been waving around for two weeks, trying to make me crazy.” 

With a couple of quick steps, Lucifer had him pinned against the wall. He was gratified to feel only a minor twinge in his chest. “Do you know how sexy you are right now?” he asked.

Pierce’s hands moved to his waist, holding him still. “Don’t,” he said and there was a note of pleading in his voice that surprised them both. “Not right now. I’m… I can’t. I’m...” 

“Shhh.” Lucifer’s hands were everywhere – cupping his face, tracing down his sides, circling his waist to rub his back – soothing. “It’s okay. We’ll eat and then we’ll talk. It’s fine.” He took Pierce’s hand and tugged him toward the kitchen, murmuring reassurances intended for both of them, but he knew it wasn’t fine. On the bright side, Pierce was still with him so there was a chance that everything could work out. He remembered Linda’s insight – be patient. It wasn’t his strong suit, but he was clearly going to have to try very hard.

Pierce insisted on doing the cooking, forcing Lucifer into a seat at the counter. The conversation was sporadic but surprisingly comfortable, focused on neutral topics. When dinner was done and the table cleared, they made the return trip to the bedroom slowly, with Pierce again ready to provide support if needed. Lucifer allowed himself to be placed on the bed but grabbed Pierce’s arm when the other started to walk toward the chair where he’d been seated earlier.

“Sit here with me, please,” Lucifer said, his voice low and calm. “We need to talk and however it ends I don’t want to start with distance between us.” 

A pained expression flitted across Pierce’s face but was gone by the time he joined Lucifer on the edge of the bed.

“I hurt you… scared you, and I’m sorry,” Lucifer began.

“It wasn’t your fault,” Pierce responded, drawing away a little.

“Don’t,” Lucifer said, laying a hand on his arm. “Let me finish. I’m sorry for not being more careful. If I’d waited for Decker, it would have been more boring, but this wouldn’t have happened. I didn’t consider consequences and that was selfish of me.”

Pierce nodded and shifted his weight again. It wasn’t clear whether he was agreeing or just acknowledging, but what was clear was that he was deeply uncomfortable with the conversation.

Lucifer placed a hand on the side of his face, forcing him to make eye contact.

“Listen, I don’t think we’re done. If you’d made up your mind to give up on us, you wouldn’t still be here and you definitely wouldn’t have brought the anniversary dinner. I think you’re freaked out and you’re trying to decide whether to stay or go; whether it’s worth taking the chance that I’ll hurt you like this again, or worse. I need you to know that I won’t do it intentionally. And I know you hate this, but I need you to talk to me.” He released Pierce’s face and the man looked down at the floor.

After a long moment he sighed. “I don’t think… I can’t do this again. I can’t ask you to give up Decker – I know what she means to you – but I can’t stand the thought of watching you go out in the field with her not knowing whether you’ll be hurt or killed.” He looked up, meeting Lucifer’s eyes, pleading for understanding as he continued. “I promised myself I wouldn’t feel pain like this ever again. You have no idea what it’s like.”

Still mindful of Linda’s insight, Lucifer tried to keep his voice calm. “Decker and I are shot at less than once a month. I try to kill you and wait to see if you’ll come back at least once a week.”

Pierce tensed beside him, clearly not having considered the parallel. “It’s not the same,” he said after a minute of consideration. “Without you, I’m right back where I was a year ago – alone. If you lose me and go back to a year ago, you still have friends, family, plenty of lovers.”

Neither of them expected the punch. Without thinking, Lucifer hit him hard in the mouth then slid to the floor, clutching the wound in his chest.

“Bloody hell,” he shouted, bending over, trying to escape the pain. Pierce was there in a matter of seconds, ignoring the blood dripping off his own chin. He placed a hand on Lucifer’s back only to have it shaken off. He persisted, gently seating Lucifer back on the bed and, when he couldn’t get him to straighten up, kneeling in front of him to get a look at the wound.

“Move your hand, you stubborn ass. I need to see if you’re bleeding.”

Lucifer let out a shaky breath and removed his hand. Pierce was relieved to see that there wasn’t any bleeding. The area around the wound was red, but that was probably mostly from the hand that had been pressed against it.

“I deserved that, but you’re still an idiot.”

Coming from Pierce, the admission was like a full scale apology with flowers and chocolates thrown in, but Lucifer wasn’t feeling very understanding at the moment.

“I realize that you prefer to deny your own feelings, Marcus, but don’t do me the disservice of denying mine ever again.” He tried to sit back up, moving in small increments, his breathing still uneven. This time, when Pierce laid a hand on his back he didn’t shrug it off, instead allowing himself to be maneuvered until he was lying down on the bed. Pierce sat behind him, rubbing his back until the pain started to let up and he was able to relax.

“I’m sorry,” Marcus said after a long silence and Lucifer gingerly rolled onto his back so he could make eye contact, knowing how hard it was for him. There were some phrases that Pierce just didn’t use – I’m sorry, I love you, I need you. With Linda’s help, Lucifer had come to understand that the emotional weight of the words was too much. He’d learned to read Pierce’s expressions and actions instead of waiting for the words that he was unable to say.

“I wasn’t strong enough to walk away. Now I’m not strong enough to push you away.” His voice was emotionless but their eyes met and the anguish he saw took Lucifer’s breath away. “I don’t know what to do.”

“That’s easy,” Lucifer answered, reaching over to swipe at the blood trickling from Pierce’s split lip. “Stay with me.”

When Pierce opened his mouth to argue, Lucifer moved his fingers up to block the words.

“You were right not to ask me to give up Decker. I would, if you asked, but I wouldn’t be happy about it. We can compromise though. For example, what if I join her for the investigation phase, but I stay behind if there’s an entry or arrest?”

“Would you wear a vest if there’s a possibility of danger?”

“Yes.” Lucifer was so relieved that Pierce was willing to consider options that he probably would have agreed to a bulletproof bubble if asked.

“And you won’t go rogue again unless you’re sure Decker’s not going to show up.”

Lucifer nodded. “As long as we’re negotiating, would you be willing to consider setting a schedule for our attempted murder days, maybe two weekends a month instead of every week?” 

Pierce nodded. “That’s fair.” He reached out to touch Lucifer’s face, but stopped when he realized his hands were covered with blood, which was continuing to ooze down his chin.

“And would you be willing to go clean yourself up, put some ice on that lip and come back and hold me until I fall asleep?” 

“Yes,” Pierce answered and Lucifer, watching his expression, was willing to ignore any hesitation in his voice.

Once Pierce returned and settled on the bed behind him, Lucifer allowed himself to drift toward sleep. 

“I love you,” he murmured as he closed his eyes.

Pierce didn’t speak, but he moved closer, gently wrapping Lucifer in his arms.

 

They were still sleeping almost twelve hours later when Chloe let herself into the house. She’d dropped Trixie off at school and had been on her way to one of Lucifer’s more remote properties when it had occurred to her that Pierce might have played her. She’d tracked down the private ambulance service, but no one there was talking, and it wasn’t like she could get a warrant. Maze had medical proxy and she was the one who had signed Lucifer out of the hospital. Now she’d disappeared too - chasing a bounty in Nevada according to the note she’d left on the kitchen table. Chloe had thought she might have been with Lucifer, but she was able to confirm the bounty with Maze’s client. Amenadiel didn’t know where they were, or so he said, and Linda hadn’t been available. So, all she knew for sure was that Pierce could have taken Lucifer literally anywhere in the world and all she had to work with was the list of Lucifer’s properties. The Bel Air location was originally at the bottom of her list – Pierce knew she’d been to the home, so he’d expect her to look for them there – but she’d realized this morning that he might have chosen the location assuming she’d rule it out for exactly that reason. Sure enough, when she pulled into the driveway, Lucifer’s car was there. To her surprise, the front door was unlocked; probably left open for Amenadiel or Maze. She didn’t bother knocking, just let herself in.

The house was quiet and she worked her way through it as methodically as if it were a police entry, clearing one room at a time. Peeking into the guest room, she saw Pierce’s back and could make out Lucifer’s slim form on the far side of him. Her first impulse was to rush in and check on him, but she knew that he needed rest to heal and there was a part of her that felt uneasy about chasing them down and breaking into the house. She retreated as quietly as she’d come and found the kitchen, pouring herself a glass of water. She stood by the counter to drink it, trying to decide if she should wake Pierce up and kill him or just leave and come back later.

As she finished and set the glass in the sink, she heard murmuring from the bedroom and Lucifer’s familiar laugh. There was a thud and the sound of running footsteps and her mouth fell open as Lucifer darted into the kitchen, still laughing and looking over his shoulder. He turned around, stopping in his tracks when he saw her. 

“Detective,” he exclaimed, smiling broadly, “what a pleasant surprise. I hope you’re making breakfast.”

She stood there, frozen, staring at him, at the nearly-healed wound on his chest.

Noticing her expression, Lucifer’s smile faltered and his hand came up, covering the wound. He took a step backward and strong arms circled his waist from behind. He leaned into Pierce’s embrace, reassured by his support.

“Decker.” Pierce greeted her, looking over Lucifer’s shoulder. “Make yourself at home.”

She flinched but didn’t take her eyes off Lucifer.

“How?” she asked. “I saw the bullet hole. You needed emergency surgery. You should still be in the hospital. You definitely shouldn’t be out of bed, running around.”

Lucifer shrugged. “I’m the devil, Detective.”

“Lucifer, why can’t you ever just be honest with me?” Chloe asked, wavering between anger and disappointment.

“It’s true,” Pierce interjected. “He is the devil.”

She chose anger. “And what does that make you? Jesus Christ? Santa Claus?”

“The world’s first murderer. Cain.” It was said without emotion, but his arms tightened around Lucifer as he spoke and Lucifer let the hand over his wound drop to squeeze Pierce’s hand, offering comfort.

“It’s bad enough when one of you is delusional,” Chloe snapped. “So, why did you leave the hospital?”

“It’s not just that you’re immune to me, you make me mortal,” Lucifer admitted. “Pierce needed to get me away from you so I could heal faster.”

She glared at Pierce. “Why would you tell him something like that?”

Lucifer squeezed Pierce’s hand again and fielded the question. “He didn’t. I found out before I even met him. Back when you shot me in the leg. You were ready to believe that I was the devil then, why not now?”

“Because it just doesn’t make sense. Because you haven’t shown me any proof. Just… because!” She was practically shouting, so frustrated that she wanted to cry.

“Here’s my gunshot wound, nearly healed in less than two days. You’ve watched me charm people more times than I can count. You saw me shot at the airport and I walked away without a scratch. How much more proof do you need? I’d show you my devil face, but Dad took it away.” 

Lucifer’s voice was slightly strained, but he didn’t yell back at her and Chloe felt a surge of shame for her own anger. She saw Pierce whisper something, before stepping away toward her. He stopped just a few steps in front of Lucifer.

“Only if it won’t hurt your chest,” Pierce said.

Lucifer nodded and flexed his shoulders. A vast field of white burst from behind him, taking the shape of wings. He staggered a step, but kept them spread, giving her a good look.

Chloe stared at the wings for a few seconds before collapsing to the floor. Lucifer immediately retracted the wings but fell to one knee before he could get to her.

“Decker first,” he snapped as Pierce knelt by his side.

“No.” Pierce picked him up, ignoring any objections. “I’ll come back for her once I get you back to bed.”

After gently tucking him back into the bed, Pierce returned to the kitchen and scooped Chloe up, dumping her unceremoniously on the living room couch. Knowing Lucifer would quiz him later, he grudgingly poured a glass of water, setting it on the coffee table in front of her before sitting down on the other side of the room. She started to stir almost immediately, bolting upright as her brain caught up with what had happened. She glanced around wildly before settling her eyes on Pierce.

“The wings are heavy – they pulled at his wound. I put him back to bed.”

“It’s all been true, all along?” There was a note of wonder in her voice as she started to consider the possibility.

“Yes. He doesn’t lie. You know that.”

I… I don’t know what to think.”

Pierce shrugged.

“And you’re Cain? Like from the bible?”

He nodded.

“So, you’re both, um, immortal? Is that what you guys kept saying I wouldn’t understand?”

“Yeah.”

Chloe grimaced in frustration. Talking to Pierce was like talking to a rock. “Can I talk to Lucifer?”

“Two days, I think. When he’s healed we’ll come back to Lux.”

“And you don’t want me near him because I make him bleed? Like the time I shot him?”

“Because you make him mortal,” Pierce corrected. “He’s in pain right now and it passes more slowly when you’re near.”

Chloe jumped to her feet. “I’ll go. The last thing I want to do is hurt him.”

“I know,” Pierce said. That was something he’d never question. “I’ll walk you out. And I’ll have him call you when he wakes up.”

“Thank you,” she said, although she knew that it wasn’t for her.

 

Pierce scowled upon finding Lucifer was still awake and received an impish smile in response.

“What? I’m too hungry to sleep.”

“Fine, but you’re staying right here. I’ll go fix something and bring it back.”

Lucifer started to doze while he waited, opening his eyes when a plate was shoved under his nose. He laughed out loud at the whipped cream smiley face that topped his waffle and Pierce grinned, looking slightly embarrassed.

“I’m giving you your presents after breakfast!” Lucifer announced as he proceeded to demolish the waffle.

“Presents? Were we supposed to do presents?” Pierce teased, but when they’d finished he got up and grabbed a bag out of the closet. He took Lucifer’s empty plate and set it on the end table before joining him on the bed. 

“Can I go first?” he asked, and Lucifer could see the sudden tension in his posture.

“Of course.” He reached out and ran a hand down Pierce’s back, offering reassurance.

Lucifer recognized the first two gifts, but the third was wrapped in unfamiliar paper. When Pierce reached into the bag one last time, he left his hand in there while he talked.

“This is something that I’ve been thinking about for a while now. I don’t want you to think it’s a reaction to what happened this week. I was thinking about this anniversary and I wanted you to have something that you could wear or carry that would remind you of me. Then you got hurt and I realized last night that it was even more important to me. I mean, after I stopped… freaking out, as you called it.” Pierce pulled his hand out of the bag and Lucifer’s breath caught in his throat as he recognized the small box. He’d tucked it away in a nightstand before they’d officially gotten together and clearly Pierce had found it.

“If I’m working late, I want you to have something that reminds you that I’m always coming home. If you’re on a case with Decker and it gets dangerous, I want you to be reminded your decisions affect more than just you now. If we go out, I want people to know that we’re together. And, if something happens to you, I don’t want to have to sit back and watch Maze make all the decisions.” Pierce stopped talking, looking uncertain, and Lucifer took his hand.

“If this is headed where I think it is, you know how I feel about you. I’m pretty much a sure thing – all you have to do is ask.”

The look on Pierce’s face was pure gratitude and he took a deep breath before taking the leap.

“Will you marry me?” He opened the box, revealing the wedding bands that they’d worn on their undercover assignment last year.

Lucifer didn’t hesitate. “Yes. Of course I will.”


	7. The First Decade

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After ten years together, they've settled in to a comfortable routine. Maybe they should have spent some time considering that actions tend to have consequences...

It was definitely not their usual scene - a sea of folding chairs, set up across the vast expanse of grass that served as a sports venue for most of the year. Hundreds of teenagers in gowns, wearing cardboard squares on their heads, lining up to celebrate the end of their high school careers. Lucifer maneuvered them through the crowd, maintaining a tight grip on Pierce’s hand. If he had to deal with this depravity there was no way he was doing it alone. 

A familiar figure waved to them from the back corner and Lucifer stopped dead to wave back, causing Pierce to bump into him.

“I held seats for you,” Maze yelled. She waited for them to reach her before explaining further. “Chloe is up near the front with Dan and Charlotte, but she knew Marcus wouldn’t want to be in the middle of this chaos, and I think she was worried that one of us might do or say something embarrassing.” She looked pointedly at Lucifer. “They’ll meet us here when it’s done.”

The three of them sat together in the back row, trying to ignore the commotion all around and listening for a single name to be called.

“Beatrice Espinoza.”

As soon as Trixie finished her trek across the stage, Lucifer stood and tugged on Pierce’s hand.

“Come on, babe. There’s another 200 kids before this thing is over. Let’s go neck in the car or something.”

A woman in the row ahead of them turned and glared, looking scandalized. Lucifer blew her a kiss as he led Pierce away. 

He stopped as soon as they were off the field, pulling Pierce in for a fierce kiss. When they came up for air he grinned and asked, “How can this never get old?”

“Excuse me.” 

Pierce glared at someone over his shoulder and Lucifer turned around to find the scandalized woman standing behind him. She returned Pierce’s glare before turning on Lucifer, brimming with righteous indignation.

“This is a family event. I don’t know who you think you are, but…”

Lucifer stepped forward, offering his hand. “Lucifer Morningstar,” he said, catching and holding her eyes. “And this is my husband, Marcus Pierce.” Pierce didn’t move, just continued to glare, but now there was a spark of humor in his expression as well.

The angry mom’s expression was dazed as she accepted Lucifer’s handshake and nodded to Pierce. “Ellen Marks,” she said hesitantly.

“Hello, Ellen. Let’s talk about you, shall we? I’m sure you’ve got better things to be doing than stalking us. And I don’t think you’re half as shocked as you’re pretending to be. I bet there’s a naughty little secret that you’re hiding. Why don’t you share with the class. What is it that you truly desire?”

Her face flushed and she clearly fought to keep her mouth shut. Still, the words tumbled out on their own accord. “I want you both. You’re so handsome and intense. My husband barely even looks at me and my kids ignore me. I want to shock them. I don’t want to feel invisible anymore.”

Pierce laughed as Lucifer caught the woman’s wandering hands, holding them well away from his body. He scowled over his shoulder. “Thanks for the help.” Pierce just shook his head, still laughing.

With eye contact broken, the woman slowly came back to herself, looking more and more uncomfortable as she realized what had happened. Blushing furiously, she jerked her hands away and ran back toward her husband without another word, almost trampling Maze in her haste.

Lucifer hadn’t noticed Maze’s arrival and cocked a questioning eyebrow. 

She shrugged. “It’s always going to be my job to look out for you.”

“But protecting me from soccer moms? We’ve really fallen off our game in the past few years, haven’t we?” He looked her up and down, taking in the – for Maze – conservative skirt and blouse. “At least I’m not the only one who’s gotten… domesticated.”

“Trixie picked it out.” 

That ended the conversation. It wasn’t ever said out loud, but all of them were fully aware that there wasn’t anything that Maze wouldn’t do for Trixie. Maze had become like a second mother to her and didn’t realize that she’d been claimed in that role until it was too late to object.

“They’re going to walk out past us. You’d better be back for that – she’ll be looking for you both.” The dark look that accompanied the words made it clear that she’d make them pay if Trixie was disappointed.

Lucifer just waved a hand at her and turned back to Pierce. His eyes were predatory but, when Pierce just stared at him with that level gaze, he sighed and turned back to Maze.

“Is there time for us to talk before this thing wraps?”

She nodded, slightly alarmed. “Is something wrong?”

“Not exactly. We’ve just been talking about how maybe it’s time to leave LA for a while.”

Maze looked back and forth between them, then stalked over and grabbed Marcus by the throat. “What the hell?” she snarled in his face. He just stared at her impassively, not moving, but Lucifer was not amused.

“Release him, Maze. Right now.” When she didn’t comply, didn’t even look at him, his eyes burned red and he reached for her arm.

“Don’t ruin Trixie’s day,” Pierce said, otherwise as unmoving as a boulder.

Maze sighed but released him and stepped back. Lucifer wasn’t quite over it and immediately got in her face.

“When I tell you to back off, you back off Mazikeen. If you threaten him again in my presence, I’ll make sure you regret it.”

They both stared at him, openmouthed, and he felt a flush of embarrassment.

“As adorable as it is that you feel the need to protect me, honey,” Pierce’s words dripped with sarcasm, “I don’t need to you fight my fights for me. If Maze and I disagree and want to fight it out, it’s going to happen. You know that.”

“Why would you leave?” Maze asked, hurt clear in her tone. 

“Maze, look at me. Look at all of us. We’ve been here for 15 years now, Marcus for ten, and we all look almost exactly the same as when we arrived.”

Maze shrugged. “So what?”

“So, people will start to notice,” Lucifer explained. “Lucifer Morningstar was 35 when he opened Lux. He should be 50 now. So should Marcus Pierce.”

“Again, so what?” 

“Sooner or later people start asking questions,” Pierce told her, “and no, you can’t just kill anyone who comes nosing around.”

She gave him a disgusted look.

“Believe me, you don’t want to spend a quarter of a century as someone’s science experiment,” Pierce added darkly, and Lucifer shot him a concerned glance before his attention was taken by Maze.

“So you’re going to leave me?” she asked him, hurt.

“Of course not,” Lucifer told her. “We want to know if you’ll come with us.”

Maze brightened considerably but her answer was casual. “Sure, why not.” She turned to head back to their seats but stopped after a few steps. “What about Chloe and Trixie?”

Lucifer shrugged. “Trixie is about to start college, here in LA. I don’t imagine Chloe will leave her, and she’s up for Commander at work. It’d be tough to walk away from that.”

“Then let me talk to her and get back to you.”

“Of course.” Lucifer smiled at her but dropped the expression as soon as she turned away. He’d expected her to say yes, and her indecision caused a pang of hurt. He and Maze were supposed to be a team, regardless of the fact that more of her time was now spent with Chloe than with him. Pierce took one look at his face and stepped forward to pull him into a hug.

“You know, we don’t have to go right away. There’s things we can do to stretch it out a few years. I bet you’d look really sexy with gray sideburns.”

Lucifer laughed. “Does that mean you’re going full gray?”

Pierce tried to give him a disgusted look but didn’t quite sell it and ended up laughing along with him. “Wise ass,” he said affectionately, gripping Lucifer’s hips and leaning in for a quick kiss. “At least I’m not developing a personality disorder. What the hell was that with Maze before? You know she’s not a threat to me.” It was true. Maze frequently came to Pierce when she needed a sparring partner, finding him a much more satisfying fight than most humans.

“I don’t know,” Lucifer admitted with a frown. “I was planning to stalk you and mark you when you forced the conversation on me. I guess I was still in that mindset and it made me overprotective. I’m sorry – I definitely know you can take care of yourself.”

“Don’t be sorry. It was kind of hot. Oh, and really funny.”

Lucifer tried to pull away from him, pretending to be offended, but Pierce maintained his grip, hooking his fingers through belt loops and tugging him closer instead. Before their lips met, they heard the recessional music begin and separated to rush back to their seats. They made it in plenty of time to see Trixie walk up the aisle. When she caught sight of them, her smile widened and she waved at them excitedly.

Upon reaching the end of the aisle, most of the graduates milled around, congratulating each other and waiting for their families to track them down. Trixie wound her way through the crowd, stopping here and there to speak to a classmate, until she reached them. She tossed her arms around Maze first, then Lucifer, chattering happily about the ceremony, Maze’s outfit, and their presence until her parents made it back to join them.

“See, Dad?” she called to Dan as they approached. “I told you they’d make it!”

Dan looked a little embarrassed and Lucifer smirked at him before directing a more genuine smile at Trixie. “Of course we made it. We wouldn’t have missed it for anything.”

Trixie greeted her father and step-mother with hugs, then turned to her mom. They just looked at each other for a moment, then Trixie was in her mother’s arms.

“I’m so proud of you, Monkey,” Chloe whispered.

Lucifer watched them together, really looking at Chloe for the first time since Pierce had mentioned the aging issue. He could see wrinkles around her eyes and noticed the gray streaks in her hair for the first time. How had he missed it? Even with Chloe’s promotion to Lieutenant a few years back, and subsequent transfer to Narcotics, they still saw each other regularly. He didn’t realize he was frowning until he felt Pierce’s hand making reassuring circles on his back. He looked at Dan and Charlotte, suddenly seeing the telltale signs of mortality all around him. Dan’s hair was even more gray than Chloe’s. Charlotte was probably the least changed, but he could see fine lines around her eyes and mouth that he would have sworn weren’t there last week. He saw Trixie turning to face him and forced himself to smile. Pierce stepped closer, sliding an arm around his waist.

“Uncle Marcus, Uncle Lucifer, Mom says I’m riding with you to the restaurant!” She practically bounced over to them, reminding them both of the excitement that she’d somehow maintained almost constantly in the years before she became ‘too grown up’ to ‘act like a kid’ with them.

Lucifer and Pierce exchanged a glance, and now Lucifer’s smile was genuine.

“Actually,” he said, “We’d like to bum a ride with you.”

Trixie’s eyes widened as Marcus held up a set of car keys. She looked back at her parents for confirmation and all three nodded, smiling at her dazzled expression. With a delighted shriek, she jumped into Lucifer’s arms. After a quick hug, she pulled away and threw her arms around Pierce. He’d been the one who taught her how to drive when she’d decided that it wasn’t cool to be seen driving around with her parents in the car. The fact that Pierce could be mistaken for her parent didn’t seem to matter. He was cooler than Mom and Dad, calmer than Uncle Lucifer, and had more time to spare than Charlotte. 

“Do you want to see it, or are we just going to stand around here all day?” Pierce asked, gently disentangling himself from her embrace.

“Sorry, Uncle Marcus,” Trixie said, guiltily, and he threw an arm around her shoulders, reassuring her. Pierce wasn’t big on hugs or really any physical contact, beyond a handshake, with anyone other than Lucifer. It was one of the ways he maintained emotional distance, protecting himself from the eventual deaths of everyone he got close to. He’d talked about it with Lucifer and was trying to be more open, but it was going to take more than a handful of years to undo centuries of practice. Trixie wasn’t aware of the reason, but she knew his preference. She’d just forgotten in the excitement of the moment. He kept his arm around her, squeezing her shoulders as he led her toward the parking lot.

“Let’s see if you can figure out which one is yours.”

Lucifer looked out over the parking lot, still nearly full, and laughed out loud. He glanced back over his shoulder, catching Chloe’s eye. “Looks like this could take a while – we’ll meet you there.”

Family dinners were a regular affair for their group, but Lucifer had gone out of his way to make this one special with a reservation at a restaurant down the street from Lux. After the meal, Lucifer and Pierce said their good nights and walked home. As soon as the elevator opened onto their floor, Lucifer pulled Pierce out and pushed him against the wall.

“You were so good with Trixie earlier. I think you deserve a reward.” He leaned in for a kiss. “Remember that synthetic poison we were talking about?”

Pierce nodded. “You didn’t,” he said, biting Lucifer’s bottom lip.

“Mmmm,” Lucifer moaned, pulling back reluctantly. “I did.” He captured Pierce’s mouth again, grabbed him by the collar and began pushing him backward toward the bedroom.

“I thought we decided it was too expensive for such a long shot,” Pierce said when they came up for air.

Lucifer smirked. “I changed our minds.”

They broke apart reluctantly and Pierce stripped to his boxers while Lucifer spread a tarp over the bed. There could be some messy after effects when using poison but when Pierce had - years ago - suggested spreading the tarp on the tile floor in the bathroom, Lucifer had rejected the idea so adamantly that Pierce had caved immediately. It made no difference to him where he died, but apparently it was important to Lucifer that he was comfortable. He placed a bucket on the floor near the bed, grimacing as his stomach clenched at the thought of using it.

Lucifer’s phone rang as he handed over the vial. “Maze,” he said. “Surprisingly good timing.” It was no secret how much he hated watching the death throes. “Good luck.” With a final peck to Pierce’s lips, he wandered out of the room as he took the call.

Pierce held the vial in his hand, holding off for a minute to make sure that Lucifer was okay. Conversations with Maze were always unpredictable. This one at least started off smoothly, with the usual pleasantries, before turning to a more serious topic.

“You talked with Chloe? What did she… of course you can put Trixie on.”

Pierce sighed. He’d been hoping for a quick answer. Now, knowing Maze and Trixie, there was a good chance the topic would be forgotten before Lucifer got his answer on whether Maze was going to travel with them.

“No, darling, Uncle Marcus is indisposed. Of course I can have him call you tomorrow. Yes – I’d love to hear about the drive home.”

Pierce gave up on the call a couple minutes later. Maze wouldn’t talk about anything serious with Trixie right there. He positioned himself on the bed and downed the vial. It wasn’t the worst tasting poison he’d ever had. The pain hit him almost immediately – potent stuff. His body arched against it and he hoped death would come quickly. As his vision began to fade, he suddenly realized – Lucifer had no idea he’d started late. He tried to call out, but it was too late. The pain seemed to subside and everything went dark.

Lucifer hung up the phone and just stood there staring at it. Maze had finally slipped away from Trixie and let him know that she planned to stay in LA. She had the ability to alter her appearance so she wasn’t concerned about discovery. Part of him was pleased that she’d be there to look out for Chloe after he was gone, but it was a small part. The sense of abandonment, maybe even betrayal, was stronger. They’d come here together and she’d sworn to protect him always. Turned out always was shorter than one might think.

He suddenly realized that the bedroom was too quiet. Glancing at his phone, he saw that his conversation with Maze had taken almost seven minutes and he started to panic. Even after some of the worst attempts, it had never taken more than four minutes for Pierce to revive. Lucifer bolted for the bedroom and found Pierce curled up on the bed, unmoving. His hand shook as he reached out to check for a pulse – nothing. 

The rational part of his mind pointed out that Pierce may have listened in on the call before drinking the poison- he did have a tendency to be overprotective, as much as he would try to deny it. Unfortunately, that part of his brain spoke in a small voice that was nearly drowned out by his panic. He stumbled back, away from the bed, until he backed into the side of the doorway. He tried to focus on that small voice, walking stiffly over to the bar. He poured himself a drink, his shaking hands slopping more around the glass than in it, then allowed his head to drop to the bar as he struggled to breathe.

The small voice was still talking, reminding him that they’d had ten years together – ten good years – but he didn’t want to acknowledge that. Ten years wasn’t nearly enough time. They’d been so nonchalant about the death attempts, even from the beginning, as if it was just another hobby. Let’s try a spot of murder, then we’ll run down to the club for drinks. Even in that two to four minute window of actual death, Lucifer had developed a routine that had served to minimize the stress of the attempts. Over time, it had all become routine and, thanks to that, he was woefully unprepared for success. He lifted his head, ignoring the tears running down his face, and picked up the glass. He knew it was irrational – superstitious even - but he needed to follow his usual script in case it was those steps that kept bringing Pierce back to him.

There was a sudden gasp from the bedroom, followed by the rattling of the tarp and a painful retching as Pierce’s stomach tried to eject the remaining poison. Lucifer’s trembling legs somehow carried him across the room and he leaned on the doorframe for support before taking the last few steps to the bed. The tarp rattled again as he crawled to Pierce’s side, laying a hand on his back. He could feel muscles contracting as Pierce’s body continued to rebel, and he rubbed soothing circles wishing he could provide more support. It felt like forever before Pierce’s stomach settled and even then his muscles continued to twitch and strain. When he was finally able to curl himself into a tight ball on the bed, Lucifer forced himself to get up and run a washcloth under cold water. 

As the cloth gently wiped his face, Pierce’s eyes popped open and he reached up to catch Lucifer’s wrist. Their eyes met and he saw the red rims and residual moisture clumping his partner’s eyelashes but otherwise there was no indication that this was any different from any other death attempt. Lucifer was as efficient as always, providing support without any complaint and Pierce was disgusted with himself.

He forced himself to sit up, one hand still gripping Lucifer’s wrist, and he yanked the smaller man into his arms. His head was spinning from the abrupt change in position, but he forced his own discomfort aside as Lucifer leaned forward, burying his face against Pierce’s neck with a shuddering sigh.

“I’m sorry,” Pierce whispered, his voice low and raspy. “I wasn’t thinking... started late. I’m so sorry.”

Lucifer clung to him for a minute before relaxing and running his hands up and down Pierce’s back. “Shh. It’s okay. Everything’s okay. I mean, don’t do it again, but we’re fine. We’re okay.” He could feel Pierce’s body twitching and jerking, still reacting to the poison. “It’s my job to take care of you right now. Stop interrupting.” He started rolling the far side of the tarp until half the bed was exposed, then helped Pierce to move over before he finished the job. After tossing it aside, he emptied the bucket and rinsed it before returning it to the side of the bed. 

Pierce was trembling when Lucifer helped him to sit up once more. “Last time,” Lucifer assured him. “Just get under the covers and you’re done.” He climbed under the covers as well, sighing when Pierce rolled over to face him, still concerned. “It’s okay,” he said once more. “Go to sleep, Marcus. I’ll be here when you wake.” He leaned in to place a gentle kiss on his forehead, rubbing a hand up and down his side until Pierce finally relaxed and let sleep claim him.

 

He woke a few hours later to fingers stroking his hair. At some point he’d shifted in his sleep, and his head was resting in Lucifer’s lap – Lucifer was sitting up on the bed, studying an ornate-looking book that Pierce recognized as one of a set of religious tomes that dated back to the Renaissance. When Pierce stretched, moaning at the residual tightness of his muscles, Lucifer glanced down at him and immediately set the book aside.

“How do you feel?” he asked.

“Sore,” Pierce answered, his voice still hoarse. He stretched again but continued to rest his head on Lucifer’s leg, relaxing as nimble fingers continued to comb through his hair, massaging his scalp.

“Try to go back to sleep.” 

“Mmmm.” Pierce moaned in agreement, but after another minute he shifted around, sliding up to lean against Lucifer, head resting on his shoulder. A warm hand trailed up his back, fingers finding and tangling in his hair again.

A few minutes passed, warm and comfortable and… safe, but he pushed back the desire for sleep and opened his eyes.

“Let’s not do this anymore.” He heard Lucifer’s sharp inhalation and the hand in his hair froze. “I can’t keep hurting you like this. I’ve been so selfish.”

The fingers started moving again and Lucifer pressed a kiss to his temple. “Don’t,” he said. “I entered into this with my eyes open. I gave you my word, knowing what it could cost, and I’m not going to let you give up on your desire because of me.”

Pierce sighed, forcing himself upright so he could make eye contact. “What if it’s not what I want anymore?”

Lucifer shook his head. “No. If we stop because I can’t handle it, then you’ll hate me eventually. I couldn’t… I won’t let that happen.”

“It’s not like that,” Pierce insisted. “It’s not just that I don’t want to hurt you – I don’t want to leave you. I want to be here with you for as long as you’ll have me. When I died this time, I realized at the last minute how much I wanted to come back to you.”

Lucifer just stared at him, not willing to believe. Pierce read the fear in his eyes and grabbed both his hands, trying to reassure.

“Lucifer, you’ve already fulfilled your end of the deal. Think back to what you promised.”

“To end your eternal misery,” he said slowly, just beginning to understand.

“Exactly,” Pierce said, with a reassuring smile. “I want us to keep looking for solutions – if something happens to you, I need to be able to follow – but no more attempted deaths, just research.”

Lucifer tilted his head to one side, studying him, trying to measure his sincerity.

“Do your thing,” Pierce told him. “I want you to be sure, so ask me.”

“Okay, Marcus, tell me what it is that you desire most.” They both heard the tremor in his voice, and Pierce squeezed his hands reassuringly.

“I want you,” he replied. “More than anything in the world.”

Lucifer shook his head in mock disgust. “You’re such a sap,” he complained, but there was no hiding the smile on his face.


End file.
